What cleans sand in 30G

[Dkmoo]

Last weekend I cleaned the sand due to a tank transfer and was shocked at how dirty the sand was - and this was me being pretty diligent about vacuuming the sand, and there were a lot of worms that turn the sand over. Even so, it took 5 buckets to rinse the sand from dark brown to somewhat clear.

Now that the sand is clean again, I want to see if I can add some cuc to help maintain it. I dont just want "sifters" bc I turn over the sand while doing WCs and I still have the worms. I'm interested in actual critters that actually cleans the sand.

 

[DocRose]

Nothing I know of CLEANS the sand. This is because nothing that dirties the sand is edible. I love my Nassarius snails though because as they burrow and even as the walk (crawl) they’re constantly turning the sand and stirring it so most particulates end up being shoved back up into the water column so they can go down into the sump. Sure some areas don’t get hit, but that’s what the anerobic bacteria is for. Maybe try to stop vacuuming it and just let the ecosystem do it’s work. ‍

Also I’d be curious to know what “worms” you’re talking about.

 

[Cell]

A Tigertail cucumber absolutely cleans sand and eats whatever is coating it.

 

[Dkmoo]

A Tigertail cucumber absolutely cleans sand and eats whatever is coating it.

Can they do the coarse Hawaii black sand? Grain size is pretty big.

 

[Cell]

Not sure.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Can they do the coarse Hawaii black sand? Grain size is pretty big.

Not sure.

Have had a Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber for over 15 years, my best sand 'cleaner' by far. Depending on grain size may not be suitable as they ingest some sand and poop it out...another great thing about them is they excrete calcium carbonate when they do, helping our coral skeletons grow. Honestly not sure I could live without my Cuc....

 

[MaxTremors]

They won’t ‘clean’ the sand in the way you’re thinking, nothing will, but a fighting/tiger/strawberry conch will do an excellent job of keeping your sand free of algae and debris.

 

[Dark_Knightt]

As others have said nothing exactly "cleans" the sand, but some things will keep it turned and/or cleaned.
Try upping the flow in certain areas.
Try getting nassarius snails, banded serpent starfish, even hermits will sometimes stir the sand with their shells.
I hear conches work really well too.
Definitely get the first two though, they work well for me.

 

[Cell]

Tigertail cucumbers eat dirty sand and poop out clean sand. They dont just turn the sand. This seems to me exactly the type of cleaning you ate looking for.

 

[Dkmoo]

Thanks everyone, I agree about the sea cucumber and considered adding one but again my main concern is the grain size which makes me hesitant. Its actually a mix of the large black Hawaii and fine white aragonite. Will the cucumber only eat the fine said and ignore the black? I don't want to give it indigestion/constipation if it swallows the black said.

Here's a pic of the sandbed

 

[Cell]

I'd just start a new thread titled "Tigertail cucumber substrate" or something like that. Make sure your tank is large enough too. I'm no sea cucumber expert.

 

[malacoda]

Can they do the coarse Hawaii black sand? Grain size is pretty big.

Nope. AFAIK, tiger tails do best with ~2mm or smaller.

Aquarium Invertebrates: Sea Cucumbers – Part II

Personally, I do not think that there is anything wrong with keeping sea cucumbers in a reef tank as long as you take the necessary precautions to protect them from an untimely death. I keep at least one sea cucumber in every one of my own reef tanks.

reefs.com

"Although the Caribbean tiger-tail cucumber ( H. thomasi ) is capable of ingesting particles as large as 2mm in diameter when fully-grown, they are restricted to much smaller particles when they are small (Erhardt and Moosleitner 1998), and few people have anything close to a fully-grown cucumber in their tanks."

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

The absolute best CUC is the person keeping the aquarium!

 

[CanuckReefer]

I'd just start a new thread titled "Tigertail cucumber substrate" or something like that. Make sure your tank is large enough too. I'm no sea cucumber expert.

This^^^

 

[CanuckReefer]

Nope. AFAIK, tiger tails do best with ~2mm or smaller.

Aquarium Invertebrates: Sea Cucumbers – Part II

Personally, I do not think that there is anything wrong with keeping sea cucumbers in a reef tank as long as you take the necessary precautions to protect them from an untimely death. I keep at least one sea cucumber in every one of my own reef tanks.

reefs.com

"Although the Caribbean tiger-tail cucumber ( H. thomasi ) is capable of ingesting particles as large as 2mm in diameter when fully-grown, they are restricted to much smaller particles when they are small (Erhardt and Moosleitner 1998), and few people have anything close to a fully-grown cucumber in their tanks."

Thanks for this guidance....and there ya go.

 

[CanuckReefer]

They won’t ‘clean’ the sand in the way you’re thinking, nothing will, but a fighting/tiger/strawberry conch will do an excellent job of keeping your sand free of algae and debris.

As others have said nothing exactly "cleans" the sand, but some things will keep it turned and/or cleaned.
Try upping the flow in certain areas.
Try getting nassarius snails, banded serpent starfish, even hermits will sometimes stir the sand with their shells.
I hear conches work really well too.
Definitely get the first two though, they work well for me.

Not to be confrontational but.....how do you both figure that 'nothing actually cleans the sand ' ? Or perhaps I am lol ....yes they DO actually clean the sand, then when they strip the detritus off it, the secretions add valuable elements to the tank. This is a fact. They ingest it, strip it and leave benefits. Numerous articles on reef keeping and the ocean state it. My years of having one with minimal mechanical filtration is also some evidence that they get into the bed and aerate, remove detritus, and CLEAN. I'll try and get some pics of the poop next few days....should anyone care....

 

[Ro Bow]

Last weekend I cleaned the sand due to a tank transfer and was shocked at how dirty the sand was - and this was me being pretty diligent about vacuuming the sand, and there were a lot of worms that turn the sand over. Even so, it took 5 buckets to rinse the sand from dark brown to somewhat clear.

Now that the sand is clean again, I want to see if I can add some cuc to help maintain it. I dont just want "sifters" bc I turn over the sand while doing WCs and I still have the worms. I'm interested in actual critters that actually cleans the sand.

cowries. Diamond goby. pistol shrimp

 

[Dkmoo]

Nothing I know of CLEANS the sand. This is because nothing that dirties the sand is edible. I love my Nassarius snails though because as they burrow and even as the walk (crawl) they’re constantly turning the sand and stirring it so most particulates end up being shoved back up into the water column so they can go down into the sump. Sure some areas don’t get hit, but that’s what the anerobic bacteria is for. Maybe try to stop vacuuming it and just let the ecosystem do it’s work. ‍

Also I’d be curious to know what “worms” you’re talking about.

Sry didn't see the last part of your questio.

I have mainly spaghetti worms, peanut worms, and bristle worms