Fish for stirring up sandbed?

Quietman · Mar 9, 2020

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.

Miller535 · Mar 9, 2020

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.

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/206/?pcatid=206

Miller535 · Mar 9, 2020

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 · Mar 9, 2020

WayMeem said:
I went with a more SSB this setup, so I haven’t risked a sleeper again...

What's the risk with a SSB and a sleeper?

Archibald J McLauchlin · Mar 9, 2020

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

WayMeem · Mar 9, 2020

Grant Beyleveld said:
What's the risk with a SSB and a sleeper?

Just as @Miller535 was saying, shallower sand bed means less habitat for the fauna that a sand sifting goby is feeding on.

AC1211 · Mar 9, 2020

Honestly although my diamond goby is alive and has decent weight it is a struggle to maintain good weight. I have to feed quite a bit to keep him well fed.

Punksboops · Mar 9, 2020

Love my Bella Goby pair they are work horses

shaggydoo · Mar 9, 2020

I second a goby/pistol pair. I've had to remove all corals from my sand because the pistol is a digging machine. New holes pop up everywhere and my sandbed is constantly changing/moving.

TeresaRN · Mar 9, 2020

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)

Alistairn1 · Mar 10, 2020

iReefer12 said:
Outside of Sleeper gobies, what other fish will help turn over the sandbed and keep it clean. Sleeper gobies are awesome at this job, but I’ve had 2 waste away on me, they just can’t get enough food.

Tank is 220 gallons.

Maybe an engineer goby?

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 · Mar 10, 2020

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

jordan10 · Mar 10, 2020

One of these guys he's a work horse keeps sand nice. Just gets sand of few corals but I just blow it off with baster

KeyloBeatz · Mar 25, 2020

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

DeniseAndy · Mar 25, 2020

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.