Blenny, Goby, Conch, or Other?

[Jbrock183]

I'm always happy to get so much good advice in this forum. I have a 10 gallon nano that, overall, is doing beautifully, thanks to those of you who have taken the time to offer your experience and answers to my questions. My tank is about 6 months old, and I painful strides to make sure I keep optimal water parameters, have the proper equipment, and do regular changes using only RO/DI water. In fact, I've reached the point where I am just looking forward to regular upkeep and maintenance and see what happens as the natural growth process continues. I have a great clean up crew and only have two fish: a clownfish and yellow tail damsel. I don't want to over-stress my bioload with fish, since I primarily want a reef tank.

 

I admit to one mistake - earlier on I became anxious to overcome the diatom bloom, particularly the growth on the sand - so I purchased a fighting conch. I loved having him and he did a 'pretty good' job of keeping my sand nice and 'white'. I lost the little guy lately, and my one and only hermit crab (red leg) took over his shell. I don't know if the crab killed him to take the shell or if he ran out of the food he needs from the sand.

 

Either way, I'm trying to decide the best addition to my tank that will help keep my sand stirred, sifted, and swept so it keeps that nice, clean, white appearance (especially around the edges and corners). BTW - I have live aragonite sand. The bed is about 1 1/2 inch deep. With all that being said, having one clownfish, one damsel, one cleaner shrimp, one peppermint shrimp, and an assortment of snails) what is the best next addition to my tank that will tend to my sand. I've read many arguments (for and against) some type of blenny, goby, or even another conch. Also, I am open to other ideas (lettuce sea slug - but that doesn't seem to be the best option based on what I've learned so far).

 

I'm looking forward to the feedback.

 

[lkoechle]

I would not do a conch again. They need a 50 gallon tank or large because the grow to 5 inches in length and 3 in height as well as needing a large sand bed to sift through.

[Jbrock183]

Which other options would you suggest ?

[Jbrock183]

I'm thinking some type of goby or blenny but not sure which.

[Nano36]

I dont think blennies are sand cleaners.Some gobies do more harm than good.An example are the watchman gobies.Most fish stir the sand for a reason and it isn't to help you clean your sandbed.

 

Best option is to do it yourself since the tank is small.

[IdFragThat]

Nassarius Snail

[Jbrock183]

I have 4 Nassarius snails.

 

Would a Lawnmower Blenny be a good addition?

 

What about a shrimp goby or a neon goby?

[Nano36]

Thats your call for the shrimp or neon goby. You might have to feed the Lawnmower..

[jedimasterben]

as well as needing a large sand bed to sift through.

You sure about that? What do conchs sift from the sand?

 

To the OP, neon gobies do not go near the sand. IMHO if your sandbed is looking dirty now, then you should stir it up manually every so often. A sand sifting fish will only be able to do so much, and usually only the area next to its burrow.

[mattyfelts]

i think your already overstocked, just add flow to the sand and there shouldnt be any build up or need to clean.

[lkoechle]

You sure about that? What do conchs sift from the sand?

 

Algae. They don't climb on rocks, they bury themselves and eat algae from the sand.

[jedimasterben]

Algae. They don't climb on rocks, they bury themselves and eat algae from the sand.

They certainly don't sift algae from sand, and they very rarely are buried when looking for food.

[lkoechle]

They certainly don't sift algae from sand, and they very rarely are buried when looking for food.

 

Going to have to disagree with you. Strombus alatus most certainly eats algae from the sand and mine will bury himself while eating and then move to another part of the tank to eat.

[jedimasterben]

Going to have to disagree with you. Strombus alatus most certainly eats algae from the sand and mine will bury himself while eating and then move to another part of the tank to eat.

Again, they do not sift algae from the sand (why would they sift it? Why would algae be anywhere but on top of the sand, what advantage would the algae have by doing so?) and do not require sand at all to thrive. They use sand in the wild to hide from predators, in our tanks they don't have that to worry about.

[Jbrock183]

None of this is really relevant to what I'm trying to learn.

I've been doing some research on my own, and it seems as if a pistol shrimp will do exactly what I'm looking for... some very 'light' sand sweeping. Any helpful feedback as far as anyone's experience with pistol shrimp and what I am trying learn?

[Nano36]

Jbrock, IME they don't sift much after making a home. Also they only sift that tiny small cave.

[TheElysia]

In my limited knowledge, I'd say nassarius or cerith snails. They won't exactly stir up the sandbed necessarily, but they will help keep it clean from old fish food, algae growth, etc that may then cause your sandbed to look ugly. And the sandbed will stay a mostly white color if there isn't any staining algae or microorganism growth. I'm not very experienced, though, so my advice, although well intended, may be completely wrong.