Too Stir or Not Stir Up Sand Bed?

BRS
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I don't mean to contradict you but I believe that a sand goby or sand star or any such that will go through the sand bed eat the microfauna which is badfor a deep Sandbed. The only sand sifters that you want really are non predatory snails
bobman said:
Deep sand beds can build up hydrogen sulfide gas over time and if released at once into the water column it can and will wipe out a tank. However if a sand bed is properly maintained and stirred regularly by sand sifters and such then it will release the gas in small amounts that will escape through normal gas exchange. That said I would not stir it yourself as others said its can be a pain and you will stir up to much or to little to allow anerobic bacteria do it thing. Plus by stirring the sand to much you can cloud up the tank and who wants that. if depending on the size of the tank get a sand sifter like a goby and they will do it for you.
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Tidal Gardens
I wont disagree with predatory snails to stir the bed. However with out something to stir the bed a little hydrogen sulfide will not be able to escape and will build up. Now saying to never stir the sand bed is fine but it the real world its going to happen eventually and release it all at once and wipe out the tank. Now I do remember saying depending on the size of the tank could get a goby. Simple fact is if the tank is big enough then a goby or whatever wont be able to eat all the micro fauna in the sand and then would not really make much of a difference. If it is a smaller tank then the goby will eat everything in the sand then starve to death which is probably worse so yes some sand sifting snails (non predatory) would be better.


Personally this is why I dont ever run a DSB. With a shallow sand bed none of this is an issue. stir it dont stir it dont make a difference.
 
The gas only builds up if stuff in the sand bed dies. The microfono worms and bugs will create pathways through this and that will allow the gas to escape. That is exactly why you don't want a sand goby
 
Tidal Gardens
Read the link to shimeks article in this thread. He has been doing dsb for 20 years and is an authority on the proper way. Its very inlightning. Ill leave it there. :-)
 
Well all this makes me nervous now. Should I even vacuum the top layer of sand?
 
WWC
There is an article, which I was told I should read, called "Sand Bed Secrets" by Dr. Ron Shimek. He explains the whole concept of keeping a deep sand bed very well. He does recommend replenishing the fauna in it every year and he also recommends keeping lots of snails but not keeping any kind of sand sifting gobies or sea stars because they will eat all of the beneficial fauna, and besides ruining the benefits of keeping a DSB, they will also eventually starve. He never mentions a shallow sand bed in his article, though, so I can't say whether you should stir it or not.
 
jazonPartij said:
I have a DSB but I stir the very top layer. I vacuum my sand bed every other week and stir the top layer every other week. I haven't had my tank very long so I'm not sure of the long term effects but it seems fine. What are the reasons for not stirring the sand bed? I have black sand so I want to keep it as clean as possible.
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The whole idea of a DSB was to populate the sand with micro and macro fauna, that live there and digest all the food. Then what gets by would sink deeper and become anaerobic. Anaerobic bacteria deep under the sand is supposed to convert nitrate to hydrogen sulfide and then back to hydrogen, that is harmlessly released back into the tank. You do all you can to keep the tiny critters in the sand, living and eating. Any kind of siphoning, stirring or sand sifting will kill them all off.
On the other hand, If you keep the sand clean with all kinds of sand sifters and regularly vacuum your sand, then what difference does it make how deep your sand bed is. Then the stuff they miss will dive deep into the sand and be converted to hydrogen gas. It seems like either way should work if done properly.
 
I am starting an experiment to see what happens when I try to keep the first 1 to 2 inches of the deep sand bed clean, with sifters and vacuuming. There must be enough sifters to clean up all the excess food if possible. Then the deep part of the sand bed will function like a normal DSB.
 
My dragon wrasse does it for me. Not stirring but whacked the whole sand bed and turned rocks upside down looking for foods. This is the best way to create detritus storm and feed the corals.
 
Donovan Joannes said:
My dragon wrasse does it for me. Not stirring but whacked the whole sand bed and turned rocks upside down looking for foods. This is the best way to create detritus storm and feed the corals.
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Yes, I do believe it's time for me to get a nice wrass. I'll check out the dragon wrass too.
 
Deltec
This is what I do... but I do not have a deep sand bed. It easily cleans the sand all the way to the glass bottom.

 
melypr1985 said:
Not by you. There are animals that will stir up the sand some and keep it clean and others that just help clean it up. You can vacuum the very top layer of it if you want/need to. But dont just sick your hands in there and stir it up on purpose especially if it's a deep sand bed - 4+ inches deep
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Goes for any sand bed, leave it to the sand dwellers.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
I understand the concept that stirring and adding reef sifters to a deep sand bed will destroy its life. I'm thinking that I no longer want a "live sand bed", as in having animals that rely on an interaction of species within the sand. I feel that the balance of life in a live sand bed is too delicate and can be easily unbalanced by the dominance or depletion of it's inhabitants. I prefer now to load up the tank with sand sifters, that eat up whatever falls there way, but don't depend on the sand to stay alive. I still don't know why I should not keep the sand deep as it is (8"+). I guess I feel this way because too much of one supplement killed all my (100+) bristle worms, and I don't know what else might have died in the sand bed. It's pretty easy to tell if a snail or hermit crab is dead, but what's going on below in a live sand bed (DSB) is not easily known or understood.
 
Slightly off topic, but I've been having a diatom outbreak and tried stirring/cleaning my sand bed to remove it and it only seems to have gotten worse. Much worse. Could stirring it have released nutrients that caused a growth spike? It's about 1 inch deep maybe 1.5
 
Cerberusfish said:
Slightly off topic, but I've been having a diatom outbreak and tried stirring/cleaning my sand bed to remove it and it only seems to have gotten worse. Much worse. Could stirring it have released nutrients that caused a growth spike? It's about 1 inch deep maybe 1.5
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Yes, you either need to keep it clean or never touch it.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
I do water changes every 2 weeks (75 gallon) and usually lightly clean it butni have really fine sand that easily gets sucked out so I can't do too much without taking a chunk out of my sand bed. Should I just take off the top layer for physical removal at the next water change and then let my snails take it from their? Or not even remoce the top layer of sand?
 
I have a shallow sandbed and this may be my imagination or anedoctal experience, but the rare times (once every few months) I deep vacuum my sandbed, I get algae bloom the next week.

What do you think of that guys? Do you reckon its a direct relation due to poop buildup in the sand?
 
BRS

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