What are your favorite substrate cleaning inverts?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Not gonna lie. My sand bed looks awful right now. I've got a fighting conch and nassarius snails, but no dice. I've got a 50g cube with an MP40 and MP10, so plenty of flow. My fish get along right now, so I'd rather not add another, so I'm hoping to get some good sand cleaning inverts... What do you guys recommend to help keep the sand bed clean?

 

[Dolphins18]

Bristle worms. Disgusting little creatures but they keep the sand and rocks pretty clean.

 

[KingTideCorals]

SO surprising to me! I have had great success with my conch.

Sand bed is spick and spam because of my conch! Can already see the conch now looking at me when I even look funny at his/her sand bed!

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

SO surprising to me! I have had great success with my conch.

Sand bed is spick and spam because of my conch! Can already see the conch now looking at me when I even look funny at his/her sand bed!

I love my conch. I just think he needs some help. LOL

 

[KingTideCorals]

I love my conch. I just think he needs some help. LOL

Getting lazy on the job!!!

 

[BrandonS]

fighting conch!!

 

[SteveG_inDC]

Just to clarify, when people say keeping the sandbed "clean" they mean eating detritus and uneaten food so it doesn't create algae blooms or produce chemicals that are harmful to the other tank inhabitants, not an aesthetic thing, right?

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Just to clarify, when people say keeping the sandbed "clean" they mean eating detritus and uneaten food so it doesn't create algae blooms or produce chemicals that are harmful to the other tank inhabitants, not an aesthetic thing, right?

I'd say both. It's primarily about function, but who doesn't want their reef to look nice?

 

[BlennyTime]

Cerith snails are great for cleaning the sand bed and rocks. They are also small and can get into tight spaces.

 

[boacvh]

My top are 3 fighting conch. And afterwards my bristleworms.

 

[SteveG_inDC]

Most important sandbed critters are worms. Some of the stuff we buy for sandbeds just eats all the beneficial sandbed fauna. For example, I don't plan to keep wrasses. Ron Shimek is a good resource on this topic.

 

[porkchop-rob]

You are the best thing to clean the sand...use a vacuum and go to town when you do water changes. If not doing water changes, then vac into a filter sock in the sump and immediately change the sock.

I've had zero luck depending on inverts to keep the sand clean enough aesthetically.

 

[SteveG_inDC]

You are the best thing to clean the sand...use a vacuum and go to town when you do water changes. If not doing water changes, then vac into a filter sock in the sump and immediately change the sock.

I've had zero luck depending on inverts to keep the sand clean enough aesthetically.

Are you trying to create sterile sand? You could suck out beneficial organisms. This is the one area where I disagree with the BRS videos. Never vacuum sand unless you are removing something specific like a patch of cyano. (Sorry, I am making this devolve into a DSB debate!)

 

[ScubaFish802]

Following for CUC ideas . .

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Maybe some brittle stars... I don't currently have any in this tank. Not sure why I haven't gotten any as hitchhikers...

 

[Tankkeepers]

If you have enkff room as they need alot not to starve sand sifting starfish

 

[Tankkeepers]

Also Id would agree and disagree at the same type as to vacuming the sand it depends on how the system is ran and as to what micro organisms you have to keep it clean if not vacuuming the sand as a sand bed can become a problem if enoff biodiversity is not introduced into the tank either by accident or intentinally

 

[living_tribunal]

Not gonna lie. My sand bed looks awful right now. I've got a fighting conch and nassarius snails, but no dice. I've got a 50g cube with an MP40 and MP10, so plenty of flow. My fish get along right now, so I'd rather not add another, so I'm hoping to get some good sand cleaning inverts... What do you guys recommend to help keep the sand bed clean?

Nassarius, mini brittle stars, lots and lots of worms, and pitho crabs.

Pithos are turning into one of my absolute favorites. They dig themselves halfway through the sand bed and start plucking away at everything.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Are you trying to create sterile sand? You could suck out beneficial organisms. This is the one area where I disagree with the BRS videos. Never vacuum sand unless you are removing something specific like a patch of cyano. (Sorry, I am making this devolve into a DSB debate!)

Again even with a dsb it if not taken care of properly can cause problems there are advantages and disadvantages to each way of doing things even bare bottom and each person should figure out what works for them and their setup

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Nassarius, mini brittle stars, lots and lots of worms, and pitho crabs.

Pithos are turning into one of my absolute favorites. They dig themselves halfway through the sand bed and start plucking away at everything.

I'm not familiar with pitho crabs. I'll look into them. I'm also going to try to get some micro brittle stars I think.