Bottom feeders and sand sifter

[Mikey]

Any recommendation for any LS which is bottom feeders and sand sifter which doesn't grow too big?

[mun333]

Any recommendation for any LS which is bottom feeders and sand sifter which doesn't grow too big?

Mandarin...

[euphoria]

Mandarin...

[Dispar_Anthias]

Mandarin...

I don't think mandarin is a sand shifter

[bum]

dude,

mandarins have very specific feeding requirements.

unless you have a constant supply of pods,

most likely it will starve.

mikey,

can be more specific?

bottom feeder......

is it fish? stars?crabs?snails?

for what purpose?

sand cleaning?

[soggy]

sand cleaning, the clear winning would be a donkey dung cuke. but i've heard numerous stories about their linking with powerheads before. *chuckle*

[Pinnacle]

check out the sand-sifting goby (sleeper goby) at ML. i bought one front Henry one month ago and it has been cleaning my sand eversince. but i warned you that it can get messy on your sand sometimes. clean my button/polys sometimes. was wondering whether it is cleaning or destroying them.... quite fun to watch it sifting the sand and digging holes under the liverocks with its mouth.... wonder whether it will choke itself.... very fast swimmer too. once you have it, i dun think u can catch it without overturning your landscaping....

[Chris]

Please make sure your sand is really matured (more than 1/2 year) or the poor goby will starve to death. Also, matured does not mean dirty or covered with cyno cause the goby will not eat cyno. Only way to kill these ugly cyno is to clean them manually.

[Atreef]

Bottom dweller? I have a black sea cucumber and algae blenny

[Pinnacle]

Hi Chris,

The sleeper goby does eat brine shrimps, piece of prawn meat and other things.... not necessary a matured tank.... i think you are referring to the green mandarin if i'm not wrong.... have you keep a sleeper goby before?

[Chris]

Depending on luck, the sleeper goby or for that matter any snad sifting goby does take BS or MS. But , they are bottom dwellers and are not likely to get much food as the other fish will eat up most, if not all the food. Thus, they actually rely on food from the sand bed, like pods or other organism. Mandarin has special diet and don't sift sand at all. My 2 years old tank (4X2X2) can successfully sustain one mandarin for over 1 year. As for sand cleaning, I go for the Black dung.

I was trying to point out that if the sand is dirty because of algae, the goby is of little use as it does not feed on these things. It seems like it can clean the sand cos it is turning them. The algae will just come back. Of course best way is to control the nutrients and these algaes will go off.

[DrJekyl_MrHyde]

so now i know how my sleeper goby die ...or not have enough pod or food in my sand bed....poor fellow.......

[junyong84]

does it really do it job??? cleaner shrimps dun clean

[CKS]

if ur tank is too small for donkey dung...try to get some nassarius snails..

im not sure if those "sand-sifting goby" & starfish r sandbed safe or not...

i think they would do more harm than good ...

ask if anyone is willing to spare u some bristle worms

why are u looking for sand shifter anyway? whats ur situation?

[ai[k²]wan]

hmm does sand sifter help in covering up cyano patches while i deal with the phosphates?

[CKS]

covering? no

they can help in reducing the nutrient tho..indirectly reducing the cyano