Sand Star or Cuke

[supremo]

Hi all, I think it's time I get some help to clean the sand in my tank. No matter how I position my powerheads there are still some debris left in the sand. So to do this I was thinking of placing some cleaning crew. May I know, in your experience, which would be a better choice, Sand Star or Black Cuke? In terms of efficiency and ease of keeping.

I have a 3x2x2.5 tank, 6" DSB, Liverocks covering around 40% of the sand. I have 1 output of the return blowing behind the rocks. I actually don't have much fishes yet. 1 maroon clown, 1 tomato clown and 1 green chromis. 2 hammerhead corals, 1 small frogspawn and 1 bubble.

I hope the above info is enough to get some advise.

Thanks in advance.

[jesperlam]

Sea Cuke will be easier to maintain but many reefers here have the problem of the sea cuke being squashed by their PH/Tunze when the cuke climbed into the device.

[kareen]

May I know what is Sea Cuke? Thinking of getting one to clean up the sand also...

[lightningstrike]

supremo: a sand sifter will be safer. at least it wun spill it's guts out when threatened! and it wun propogate into a few extra sea cukes along the way.

kareen: black sea cuke = black sea cucumber.

[supremo]

thanks for the replies bros. so for my config, how many could i safely keep?

[lightningstrike]

as long as water paras r ok, u can safely keep up to 3 to 5 in ur tank, but IMHO, why not juz try 1 out first b4 making further purchases. alternatively, u can try 1 sand sifter star and 1 sea cuke.

[kareen]

supremo: a sand sifter will be safer. at least it wun spill it's guts out when threatened! and it wun propogate into a few extra sea cukes along the way.

kareen: black sea cuke = black sea cucumber

Huh! black sea cucumber can propagate into a few extra How how? Tell me

Maybe can eat them when they grow big

[lightningstrike]

Huh! black sea cucumber can propagate into a few extra How how? Tell me

Maybe can eat them when they grow big

factors that influence the reproduction of sea cucumbers by angela mackey.

http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/biology/bi...y%282001%29.pdf

[kareen]

factors that influence the reproduction of sea cucumbers by angela mackey.

http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/biology/bi...y%282001%29.pdf

Thank you for the information, lighting strike. But have anyone here ever had the sea cucumber propagate? (eager to hear from the expert)

[supremo]

1 more question....does turbo snails eat corraline algae? cause my tank still quite new and i don't see any algae (touch wood) maybe because I used rowaphos from day1 and very low bio-load. i did notice however that the corraline algae in the LR are starting to fade

[lightningstrike]

1 more question....does turbo snails eat corraline algae? cause my tank still quite new and i don't see any algae (touch wood) maybe because I used rowaphos from day1 and very low bio-load. i did notice however that the corraline algae in the LR are starting to fade 

Coraline algae fading in ur tank has little to do wif turbo snails. check ur lightings, photoperiod and most imptly, ur calcium levels. dripping kalk, by far, shld be the moost economical way to bring out the coraline algae.