keeping sand clean

So I stupidly did black figi sand and it sucks!

Shows every bit of anything

I have a very strong reef cleaners crew, probably twice what was recommended and it still doesnt keep the sand clean,

any critters that I am missing to keep it clean

have nerites, turbos, ceriths, nassarius, hermits, pincushion urchins, and a few other kids of snails that are slipping my mind, I did have limpets and I assume I still have a few left but I cant keep them alive for the life of me

 

get a sand sifter like a sand sifting sea star or some goby might work!

 

I was thinking a goby of some sort also, but I dont wantthat completely burrows under the rocks, I have always been fearful of a rockslide

After the last sea star, never again, I dont think they should even be sold in the hobby, everyone I have ever seen anyone have ends up melting away ;-(

 

The whole reason I have never tried black sand is because I hear so many people say "yea it as pretty, now I can not keep it clean".

Wise decision on the not getting another sand sifter. Very rarely a good choice and only in some large very established systems. No need to create a demand for an animal that usually dies a slow death in captivity.

 

There is a lil way to mask the grim on a black sand system.

If you used the caribsea black fiji sand, its a really fine sand. You can mix in some tideline black sand, which is a much larger grain. Most fine articulates and pieces of liverock will fall in between the cracks. We've done this on a couple tanks, works well.

 

btw, sand stars do well in captivity. Kept them in multiple systems w/o issues.

 

I had black sand on my first tank, and a Diamond Watchman Goby. It still was never clean and black. I always warn people when they ask about black sand.

 

Not to be argumentative, but the amount of threads you see titled "what is happening to my starfish" coupled with many hobbyist experience with them leads me to believe that they do not do "well in captivity" in general.

I could say the same regarding octopi, because I have kept them in multiple systems w/o issue, but that would be a generalization and I would not encourage others to take on such an animals without knowing the risk.

I stand by what I posted. The average hobbyist, looking only to stir their sand bed should not purchase these star fish and we should discourage providing the demand for them as long as they are all collected from the wild and have a dismal survival rate long term.

 

I agree. Your experience may be the exception, or not. It also depends on your definition of "doing well in captivity". If that means it's alive for 6 months, then it's not doing well. JMHO

 

i agree, just because its alive, doesnt mean its doing well.

as far as sand cleaning goes, im sure whatever works in a nano will work in your tank so look at this thread: http://www.3reef.com/forums/inverts/sand-cleaner-8-gal-104266.html