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Anonymous

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What is your fav critter for keeping the top of your DSB turned over?
 
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Anonymous

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Nothing here. I guess snails sometimes crawl across the sand, but that's it.
 
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Anonymous

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My Fighting Conchs do the surface allright.

I have an Olive snail that works deeper in the sand. I have seen him out on the surface plowing the sand pretty good. Sometimes you don't see him for weeks though. Not really sure what the Olive snail actually eats as there is conflicting info to be found. I do have some bristle worms and other critters in the sand, so he hasn't cleaned them out.
 
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Anonymous

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My Fighting Conchs do the surface allright.

I have an Olive snail that works deeper in the sand. I have seen him out on the surface plowing the sand pretty good. Sometimes you don't see him for weeks though. Not really sure what the Olive snail actually eats as there is conflicting info to be found. I do have some bristle worms and other critters in the sand, so he hasn't cleaned them out.
 
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Anonymous

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Snails, brittle stars, and scarlett crabs. I had a cuke when I first set my tank up, but he died. I thought I would need to replace the cuke, but the sand bed has stayed sparkling clean without one. Maybe he died because the sand was no longer getting coated in diatoms, thus he starved to death?

Louey
 
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Anonymous

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My Brittle Star and Crabs.........work on it 24/7. I hate snails.won't get them. If I need to i use my hand to mix up the spots my cleaners don't get to. Have Fun!
 

esmithiii

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My Brittle Star and Crabs.........work on it 24/7. I hate snails.won't get them. If I need to i use my hand to mix up the spots my cleaners don't get to.

You are backwards from most aquarists: The rest of us hate crabs and prefer snails. Crabs have a tendency to eat things I don't want them to when they get hungry.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi esmithiii.......I am backwards from most people on this planet. I have been known to walk and drive backwards. However I try to think in the current -longterm future mode. Ok .tell me why I should have sanils.no.even better.convince me that I need snails. I am learning. One thing that concerns me is when they croak they will polute my tank before I know what is happening. Yes I know.the crabs could too but I only have about 6 maybe 5 very small ones. Ok maybe my Brittle star would clean up the bodies. Ummmmmmmmmmm.......ok come on ......teach me teach me. Can I just knock the snails off my glass when I am scaping algae? How many should I get for a 29 gallon. I do like the brightly covered ones.but they are about 4 bucks a piece. They were bright orange. Real neat. Have fun! I will appreciate any help you can offer. Just remember I am a bit twisted. :twisted:
 

aquarist=broke

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Aside from honkin' turbo snails and some really honkin' hermits, worms and little bugs seem to dig and move sand around, even from deep down.

Lawnmower Blennie just seems to kick up sand from the top layers.... :x
 
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Anonymous

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I've got a few snails, emerald crabs, and a brittle star. The crabs never seem to leave the rocks, the snails don't leave the glass (but they do a good job of keeping that clean at least), and the brittle star is a lazy sob that never leaves his cave until he smells food. I had a few peppermint shrimp that used to go and pick at the sand moderately, but the star eventually hunted them all down and ate them. So my sand is getting to be pretty dirty. I'm thinking maybe I'll try some coral banded shrimp, or Sally lightfoot crabs... something that won't be instant-dinner for my star. I don't have any corals to worry about, just assorted live rock and macro algaes, so what other crab/shrimp species would fit?
 

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