SANDSIFTERS

[MARKSOBE]

HELLO TO ALL
I HAVE A 90 GALLON WITH ABOUT 80LBS OF LIVE ROCK. THE TANK HAS 4 TANGS AND 3 DWARF ANGELS. MY PROBLEM IS THE ARAGONITE REEF SAND THAT I AM USING SEEMS TO BE CLUMPING A LOT. I TRIED USING HORSESHOE CRABS, BUT THEY GET LAZY AND DON'T DO THE JOB. WHAT COULD I USE TO STIR UP THE SAND REALLY WELL? I WOULD PREFER NOT TO USE A FISH,BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ALL SUGGESTIONS.
THANK YOU MARK

 

[Anemone]

Well, a 90 gallon tank really isn't big enough for 4 tangs and 3 dwarf angels, and you'll probably have water quality and/or disease problems as the fish mature until you remove some or they die.

As to the sand question - what size grains, and what do you mean by "clumping?" You see, sand can clump through chemical reactions, algae growth, or bacterial bonding. Was this sand purchased as "live sand," or put in dry?

BTW, how old is this tank?

As to horseshoe crabs, they don't get "lazy." They consume most of the small critters that those of us with live sand beds like to have (the ones that keep the sand from clumping), then they die of starvation. Most people don't have a tank large enough to keep a crab that will grow to over a foot in length anyways....

Tell us more about your tank, and maybe someone can point you in the right direction...

Kevin

 

[Rich-n-poor]

ive had a sand sifting star in my tank for about 2 months now my sand never clumps and i still have lots of little critters roaming about when the lights go out

but some people will tell you that these will kill your sand beds which i personally dont believe since i have plenty of pods and i rarely feed this tank but it is a concern as they do consume life from the bed but i doubt they consume it faster than it can reproduce

what is your alk and calcium levels i think sand can clump if they are off also

_________________
history of recessions

 

[Ben1]

Do you dose Kalk, this can cause clumping when not properly dosed. Horseshoe crabs DO eat all your sand bed critters so little life is left to move the sand. There are sand stirring stars but arnt recommened. They do eat the sand bed critters and with them you will never have a nice sand bed. Pods arnt what makes up a nice bed IMO. I have a sand bed full of brittle worms, spagetti worms, mini brittle stars ect...thats what makes a nice sand bed. I got a very nice collection of critters to live in my sand by simply trading sand with many other reefers when I originally set up the bed a few years back.

If you dont have anyone to trade with who has nice established sand beds, order a kit from www.ipsf.com or Dr. Mac or Inland Aqautics.

 

[Anonymous]

I had a burrowing sand star in my 37 gallon tank--it decimated the sandbed life. It also turned the sand over really well--too well. I never had any bubbles in my DSB since the star was churning it up enough to prevent any low oxygen areas from developing. My DSB wasn't DSBing NO3 into N2 gas. I've since removed the sand star; my nitrates have dropped to zero, and I've got N2 bubbles and life in my sand bed.

I'm sure with a bigger tank (more sand), you can support a sand star without losing your sandbed fauna or the benefits of a DSB.

If you've got clumping problems, then it may be a good time to take a look at what you're adding to the tank.

Ty