Mnesarchus Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 I have noticed some algae growing quite thickly on my sand bed, even though I have a large cleanup crew (6 Turbos, 3 Bumblebees, 3 Hermits, and Urchin). How does everyone keep their sand sparkling clean? Link to comment
DogfacePuffer Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 with chlorox bleach to keep it sparkling white Link to comment
ross76053 Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 I'm going through the same problem with my sand - wanted to get in on the post to get the email notifications. My snails & crabs couldn't care less about the Algae on the sand. Ross Link to comment
flaunt Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 i have heard fighting conchs excel at keeping the sandbed clean... anyone have one of these in their nanos? i was thinking of trying one myself actually. Link to comment
Physh1 Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 I've got a few tigertail cucumbers in my tanks. They do a killer job on sand... Cameron Link to comment
Brianc_4 Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Fighting conchs, or queen conchs do like the sand bed. I have two queens in my 20gal and they definitely go after any cyano that starts to develop as well as algae. I find nassau snails like the sand bed as well, they will actually go down into the sand bed in search of food. They also magically appear any time food hits the sand bed. Good luck;) Link to comment
J-Bass Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Try cerith or nassarius snails. Link to comment
MrConclusion Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Whatever exists in my well water (silicates?) really kicks off brown diatom algae on my sand bed. Nothing seems to relish that stuff, but switching to distilled water will knock it down by probably 80%. I stir the surface of the sandbed with a slim rod every few days. In the past I used RO water to no avail. I'm considering one of the new Hi-S RO filters for silicate reduction. Does anyone have experience with Hi-S RO and brown algae? Link to comment
anthony812 Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 i can see some of the "older" members forgeting the main factor..TIME!! it takes time, when you go through all the algae cycles, all you going to get is nice purple coraline! it may take a few month to 2 years...and of course, the cleaning crew will help that process to go faster...Tiger tail and fighting/queen conchs are great additions to clean your sandbed. Be patient my boys! hahaha Link to comment
J-Bass Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 Hey anthony, how big is your tiger tail? And do you find keeping them not too difficult? The wholesaler place I sometimes shop at has them in stock but I always thought that cucumbers would be difficult to keep healthy. Do you think a 20H tank is too small to keep just one? Link to comment
spectre Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 sparkling clean sand = Less nutrients + more circulation + a good variety of sand sifters. Do you use any type of chemical filtration on this tank? That would help as well. JMTC Link to comment
anthony812 Posted October 10, 2002 Share Posted October 10, 2002 J-Bass - my is about 3" in length..they are relatively easy to keep, and 100% reef/POD safe! I think your 20 should be suffient for one smaller species. Try one, you won't regret it. Link to comment
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