what sand sifters?

[rica5tully]

I have a 55-gallon with very fine grain sand. It's Aragonite and is sugar-sized...very fine.

What should I get to sift the sand and eat gunk?

I've heard of sand-sifting brittle stars. What else do you recommend?

I currently have 3 blue-leg hermits, two snails, and a blue chromis.

Thanks.

 

[OrionGirl]

I like the nassarius snails for the sand ( I think that are the nassarius--the littler guys that readily breed in the tank!). They seem better at cleaning up waste and such, without going after other sand bed fauna. Bristleworms are also great for the sand bed.

 

[rica5tully]

Are Bristleworms sometimes considered a pest?

Would Nassarius snails do o.k. with really fine-grained sand like that? I was wondering if snails have a hard time moving on stuff like that.

 

[Max]

Yep, the snails will do fine in the sand so will bumble bee snails, "pretty colors". Sand sifting stars are neat but they are kind of expensive and you might go long periods between sightings. Cucumbers are also great at churning substrate " don't know if you have a big enough tank for a lot of em". Some of the sand urchins, "heart urchins" and sand dollars work real good to. Most species of bristle worm are harmless usefull detriovores and won't hurt anything. They are also all sorts of worms etc... I don't know if you have any friends that keep tanks or not but a cup of their sand will probably set you well on your way.

Chris