Sand bed

[rolikesfish]

How can I keep my sand bed really clean? What creatures will help with this. Also, if there is food left on the bottom after about 10 min, how should I go about getting rid of it?

[JPMagyar]

Sand beds are the subject of intense debate within the hobby. In simplistic terms I will say that some folks are believers in deep sand beds that have a depth of greater than 4 inches (DSBs) which should never be disturbed, whilst some folks prefer a thin layer of sand that they siphon clean weekly, and still others prefer a bare bottom tank where they siphon off all detritus on a regular basis. A DSB stays clean by virtue of the small creatures that live inside it, while a thin layer of sand will need to be siphoned clean on a regular basis. If you have a sand bed less than 4 inches, you need to work on keeping it clean yourself and if your sand bed is more than 4 inches deep you need to leave it alone and focus on keeping your water pristine so the bed can "take care of itself", but all of this is a matter which is constantly debated and discussed amongst even the most advanced reefers so don't feel to bad if you don't have a perfectly pristine white sand bed.

Not sure how much that helps, but I hope you'll feel free to ask as many questions as you want since I am certain the good folks here on RC can help!

Joe

[Palting]

I AM THE EXPERT AT SAND SIFTING!!

Kidding :D. I just got done asking in another thread: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1924590

[rayn]

Get anything that shifts through your sand. Snails, cucumbers (though they get large). As for the food, while this goes against common wisdom, your cuc should take care of it. I probably overfeed my tanks, but the biggest with the 1.5-2" sand bed is clean with my cuc and cucumber.

[aleonn]

Cerith and nassarius snails are good sand sifters, as well as gobies (depending on the size of your sand).

[jeff@zina.com]

How can I keep my sand bed really clean? What creatures will help with this.

You can't. It will get discolored and "dirty" looking. Healthy sand isn't pure sand.

Also, if there is food left on the bottom after about 10 min, how should I go about getting rid of it?

By not putting it in to begin with. :)

Siphon it out. Then don't over feed next time.

Jeff