Cleaning Sand In Reef Tank

[matrixnyc]

Anyone have and ideas on how to keep and get the sand on the bottom of my tank clean?

Is there a vacuum or something?

There seems to be some debris and some of the sand seems to clump up together

[Pineapple House]

What is your substrate?

I have a feeling you have live sand, but if you don't just let us know.

Live sand: You can use an assortment of life to move the stir the substrate. Pods and worms will likely make tunnels down the sand. Many cucumbers, including the tiger tail cucumber, will do exelent jobs stirring the sandbed. These cucumbers are not poisonious unlike their relitives. Some extra current running on top of the sand bed would also help with the ditritus issue.

Just some ideas*

PH =)

[matrixnyc]

the bed is southland down sand

[Brad]

I am also interested in that question dose anyone have any info on the Tiger Tail Cucumber?

[matrixnyc]

It gets me upset that the tank is coming along well and than the sand gets all dirty :)

Would a clean up crew help?

If so what would be better to clean the sand ?

[Pineapple House]

Matrixnyc,

Do you ever plan to turn the southdown into a DSB? Or ever want to add some live sand to it?

I would say a clean up crew would help with this. Tiger tails, as well as a wide wariety of pods, worms, and a bit extra current will do wonders stiring the sand.

If you are just planning to have southdown sand, with no addortment of life, some species of gobies will stir the sand. Diamond gobies, Golden headed sleeper gobies, etc. will do a great job in stiring the sand. Although, they will kill off most of the life in the substrate, eating pods, worms, and basicly everything you would want in a DSB, everytime they scoop sand into their mouth and sift it through their gills.

dose anyone have any info on the Tiger Tail Cucumber?

They are quite a hardy species, esspecielly when added to a mature aquarium. These cucumbers can get quite big, esspecielly when fully expanded. They do best when added to a esstablished DSB. These also, will reliese very little, or no toxin at all when stressed, or died. I have 3 in my tank now. I used to have 4, one died (got stuck in a powerhead intake :( ) and I didn't notice it until I saw the powerhead not fully working. I saw no spike of any sort, and went on as if nothing ever happened.

Do a search on the board for 'Tiger Tail cucumbers' and I am sure you will find some outstanding info :)

PH =)

[Sean Smith]

Do you have a pic of your cucumbers PH?

I have exactly the same problem as matrix....

I fished out some of the sand clumps this evening and directed a powerhead along the sand bed.

[Pineapple House]

Do you have a pic of your cucumbers PH?
.
Nope :( I hardly ever seem them. I just saw them last week, which is normal. Sometimes i'll see them monthly when they're out in front. Most of the time they're burried 3" under the substrate, or behind the rocks somewhere. This is not a species to get, as far as looks go :wink:

PH =)

[phistio]

matrix,

personally (and i know it's hard to deal with), but just leave it...if you siphon the detritus out, you'll be sucking out so many beneficial suface-substrate organisms...

some hermits, and fighting conches, and perhaps some type of sandsifting cucumber (like the one mentioned) should do the trick.