what type of invert do you use to sift through the sand to clean up the junk

[youpey]

what type of invert (or other) do you use to sift through the sand to clean up the junk in the sand. i would like some kind of invert to do it

my tank is a 14g biocube with about 18 pounds of live rock and and 10 pounds of live sand. i have one clown and no corals.

[tgray3]

Cerith snails do a good job for me. I have Hawaiian black sand which is a bigger grain size and the snails plow through it and keep it turned over pretty well. Asterias also do a good job on the top layer but the Cerith snails dig in and turn it over.

[youpey]

how many snails and hermits should i have in a 14g biocube. right now i have 2 snails and 2 hermits. i think i need a couple more of each and i also want to get an emerald crab just cause i like them

[tgray3]

It depends on a lot of things, filtration, how much you feed, your flow, your bio load....Maybe start out with around a dozen and see how it does. You want enough to clean the tank but not enough that they starve to death. I'm not a fan of hermit crabs. They either kill the snails or get so big the start knocking things over. I stick to snails only but some people like 'em so it's up to you.

[ozzyvega]

I've always used nassarus snails. They dig through the sand all the time. Then when you fees they bust out of the sand after food. Very fun to watch do great on the sand.

[dlterry85]

def nassarius..great to watch em.

[jimlundborg]

I just picked up a conch a couple weeks ago for my 24 gallon and he is doing a great job of keeping the sand looking clean.

[Korrine]

nassarius can deplete your sand bed if you have too many.They are pretty cool to watch, though :)

I am not a fan of hermits either. Remember they eat what they can...they can decimate your pods and kill your snails.

I stick to a few nassarius, cerith, nerite snails. I've given up on astrea. They last awhile, but not as long as the others. Astrea are also not tropical snails.

[seanathen]

I have 2 nassarius snails in my biocube 29. I only ever see them at night. They don't come barreling out of the sand even with sinking pellets. Maybe there's still plenty for them to eat and they don't need it. :) Gennerally, a snail per gallon is acceptable from my understanding.