Sand sifter recommendations...

[MikeP]

I have lost 2 diamond gobies now due to carpet surfing :sad: They seem to shoot right through the eggcrate I have on top of the tank. As much as I love these guys I'm not going to buy another one. What else will do a good job of cleaning the top layer of sand? I was thinking of a dragon goby but do they spit sand everywhere? I don't want to have sand all over my corals and clam. Any recommendations would be great.

Thanks

[ponokareefer]

What has worked for me is sand sifting stars, and smaller conches. I wouldn't recommend the larger conches as they can knock things around pretty good. I've never given a goby a try because of the jumping thing. Good Luck!

[Snappy]

In my humble opinion one of the best sandsifters is a dragon goby. Now that said I hate them because they drop sand everywhere and make a mess on your rock and corals but they are very effective at keeping the sandbed white. Other gobies that do a pretty good job are the 2 spot, orange spotted, watchmans, etc. A lot depends on the general grain size of the sand. For instance smaller gobies don't turn large substrate well. Conches are also good and will even eat cyano. Don't get a large cucumber like a tiger, they do a great job but will likely hide in the back, stretch out in front to eat the sand and poop it out behind or under your rock work. Sandsifter stars will usually die within 6 -18 months and they do a mediocre job at best, you need a big tank for them.
I hope this helps.

[MikeP]

Thanks so far guys. I wanted to stay away from the sand sifting stars because I have heard they don't do well in an aquarium. So are gobies the only sand sifting fish? The sand in my tank is quite fine.

[DanG]

I've got a strawberry conch. They don't get too big, and mine has done an admirable job keeping the sand clean.

[mseepman]

I have had gobies in the past but now have a sand sifting starfish...and he's awesome. Incredible to watch and keeps things cleaner than ever before. He's never done anything to my other livestock either.

If you like to keep the sand from covering your tank, you might try a couple of 2-spot gobies. They are sandsifters, but they keep right at the sandbed and don't rise as they sift, therefore all the sand stays on the bottom. I will warn you that they are extremely docile and any bullies in your tank will kill them quickly. They are also tiny and therefore it would take a few to do the job.

[fishoholic]

I have a large yellow head sleeper goby and he does a great job of sifting through the sand. He does spit the sand back out but I don't notice it getting all over rock or corals.

[michika]

I third the conch recommendation. I have two lipstick or strawberry conches and they do a wonderful job. I also have bumblebee snails, but the conches by far do the best job without disturbing clams, or kicking dust up.

[PoonTang]

Do hermit crabs kill conchs for their shells like they kill snails?

[michika]

Not that I'm aware of. Conchs are usually under the substrate and pretty inacessable to hermits. In the very least, this has never happened to me.

[surgeonfish]

My vote is for sandsifting stars. I have had gobies in the past that have covered corals with sand. The starfish works just as well. I have had Linckia stars and red sea stars eaten by something in my tank (possilby one of the surgeon fish) but nothing has bothered my sandsifter.

[fishytime]

I think that sand sifting snails are your best bet. All gobies have a tendency to jump and from what Ive read the only sure fire way to keep them IN the tank is glass. Anything with smaller openings than egg crate will start to diffuse the light too much.