Cleaning the sand bed

[hllb]

How often do you clean the sand bed? I have been using a python to do water changes and have been using it to turn over the sand bed too. But it's fairly annoying to have to move all my sand bed corals out of the way first LOL. Seems like I should still be doing it each week though since I didn't move my trachy last week and that section of sand looks dirtier than the rest now (my tank is 2.5 months old so still in that ugly phase).

Just curious how others do it. I have a clean up crew (hermits, snails, emerald crab, pitho crab, and Halloween urchin) but no actual sand sifter (tank is only 32g and I have other fish I'd like to add rather than a sand sifter)

 

[reef lover]

Conchs are always great a stirring the sb and wont add much to the bioload.

 

[Aussiemarine]

Nass snails and sand sifting star fish keep it nice and pristine

 

[hllb]

Nass snails and sand sifting star fish keep it nice and pristine

I do have several nass snails but they’re tiny. How big do they get? I did see one disappear into the sand the other day and that was cool.

 

[hllb]

Conchs are always great a stirring the sb and wont add much to the bioload.

Thought about a conch. How big do they get?

 

[Aussiemarine]

C

I do have several nass snails but they’re tiny. How big do they get? I did see one disappear into the sand the other day and that was cool.

Can get quite big here is three on my glass going for a marine grazer disc

 

[reef lover]

There are different ones. A dwarf that stays a couple inches and the big ones get to be at least four.
@Aussiemarine those looks like nassarius snails.

 

[hllb]

There are different ones. A dwarf that stays a couple inches and the big ones get to be at least four.
@Aussiemarine those looks like nassarius snails.

They are - he was replying to my question on how big the nassarius snails get. I do have several of those, but mine are tiny - less than an inch long right now. I wasn't sure if they would get big enough to be more effective, or if I needed to add a bunch more of them.

I had seen a recommendation for a fighting conch. I'll have to look up the size of those.

 

[reef lover]

Missed his post...my bad!

 

[hllb]

Missed his post...my bad!

No worries! I appreciate everyone's help. It's hard to be patient in the "ugly phase" LOL.

 

[muzikalmatt]

I stir up my sandbed with a turkey baster ever three or four days along with turkey basting the rockwork to remove any built up detritus. I have two or three nassarius snails to help stir the sandbed but I'd like to get a conch to help out as well. Some people don't clean their sandbed at all but I like the clean look and have been doing it since nearly the beginning so I try to stay consistent with the routine.

 

[Phil D.]

I have a Marineland HOT Magnum filter with a gravel vacuum attachment. I vacuum once every month and it keeps sand clean.

 

[Aussiemarine]

No worries! I appreciate everyone's help. It's hard to be patient in the "ugly phase" LOL.

Yep can be frustrating but it means everything is on the right track! I just upgraded my tank and I have a bit of funk on the sand bed at the moment, the snails are doing a good job but it will eventually go away so I’m not too worried!

 

[Afterburner]

I have a pearly sawfish that mixes up the sand building it's home regularly, and a tiger pistol shrimp that really does a good job also on the other side of the tank. May get a sand sifting starfish in the future. I used to have a really huge one I caught diving, but took it out because I never saw it and was afraid it would die....my tank parameters were really off back then and I regret letting it go.

 

[Afterburner]

jawfish