Quietman
2500 Club Member
My Yellow Watchman Goby doesn't do diddly for the sand bed, but the Pistol Shrimp he's rooming with just goes to town. Moves all the sand within 12inches of his hole over the course of a week.
Fish for stirring up sandbed?
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Miller535
Valuable Member
Also what some are calling a "bullet Goby" actually is another kind of sleeper goby. Specifically it's a banded sleeper goby. (look at attched link) Same family as the diamond gobie. Although banded goby's are supposedly hardier then diamond gobies.
Miller535
Valuable Member
In my own experience, Diamond Gobies, banded gobies, and all the similar gobies (excluding the small watchman gobies) generally only do well in tanks with a lot of fauna in the sand bed. Meaning copepods, amiphods, and things of that nature. They do sift up other things, but they are sifting looking for the fauna. And that is why the tend to shrivel up in many people tanks. The banded goby does do a little better, as it will accept prepared food more then the others. Again, this is just my experience, and I am sure there are others who will disagree.
Grant Beyleveld
Community Member
What's the risk with a SSB and a sleeper?
Archibald J McLauchlin
Active Member
My dragon wrasse tears the sand bed up looking for critters. Not exactly cuc safe for smaller snails/hermits but he leaves the mexican turbo snails and emerald crabs alone. He makes the sand bed look like the surface of the moon on the daily
Just as @Miller535 was saying, shallower sand bed means less habitat for the fauna that a sand sifting goby is feeding on.
Punksboops
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Love my Bella Goby pair they are work horses
Diamond goby and nassarius snails!
The Nassarius Snail is a small scavenger with an oval, spiral shell that resembles an olive pit. The Nassarius Snail likes to burrow in the sand, usually with its long, tube-like siphon protruding from the substrate. As it searches for food, the Nassarius Snail helps prevent compaction and aerates aquarium substrate. (Copied from LiveAquaria)
The Nassarius Snail is a small scavenger with an oval, spiral shell that resembles an olive pit. The Nassarius Snail likes to burrow in the sand, usually with its long, tube-like siphon protruding from the substrate. As it searches for food, the Nassarius Snail helps prevent compaction and aerates aquarium substrate. (Copied from LiveAquaria)
Alistairn1
Community Member
I’ve had 2 sand sifting starfish and 1 diamond goby which constantly move the bed around and then for a deeper gas exchange I find my pair of Nassarius snails really get deep into my sand bed which is approx 20-40mm
mkwarner77
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a 2 spot goby does a good job, but the best sand sifter in my tank is a sand sifting starfish, followed by the nassarius
KeyloBeatz
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I have an engineer goby and he does a pretty good job on my sand bed. Also my lunar wrasse is constantly at my sand bed digging for anything he can find
I had an engineer and it loved moving the sand, rock, and anything else. Lost it in my tank move. I decided not to get another due to my carpet nems. Now, I have the same problem as OP. I cannot seem to keep diamond goby alive more than 6 months. My tank (well the sandbed is only 2years old). Tank was replaced two years ago and all new sand used.
However, my tries were when the tank was much more mature. Like 3-10 years. I only tried two, but still. I did not want to lose any more.
I currently am looking for something too, OP. I just ordered a huge cuc of like 500 cerith, 100 nassarius, 7 more conch (I have 2), and some others. I currently have 4 cucumbers (sand dwelling ones). This all for the sand bed. It should arrive Friday along with my current cuc. I can let you know how that goes.
However, my tries were when the tank was much more mature. Like 3-10 years. I only tried two, but still. I did not want to lose any more.
I currently am looking for something too, OP. I just ordered a huge cuc of like 500 cerith, 100 nassarius, 7 more conch (I have 2), and some others. I currently have 4 cucumbers (sand dwelling ones). This all for the sand bed. It should arrive Friday along with my current cuc. I can let you know how that goes.
