Sand Sifter debate

[Nikki777]

I've read conflicting arguments on whether you should put sandsifters in your sand bed (ie sandstars, nesarius snails, gobies, etc) Some say you should never put these things in because "heavy sand stirring disrupts the natural oxic gradients when you get the important denitrification processes." (Don't ask me what that exactly means I took the quote from Eric Borneman) I've heard others argue sandstars etc help release the pockets of potentially toxic gases in a safe way and keeps detritus under control. So, I guess my question is, is it better to have sandsifters or not?

[LobsterOfJustice]

If you are looking for denitrification to take place in a deep sand bed, it is best not to stir the bottom layers of the sand. In a shallow sand bed, I believe it is best to keep it stirred.

[HBtank]

My diamond goby only goes 1/2" deep at most while sifting, and does so evenly throughout the tank. Only place he goes deeper is in his burrow, which is a small part of the tanks totalsand bed.

If anything, he keeps the top layer clean and white while not going very deep at all. My nassarius snails go a little deeper IMO, but I do not see their stirring as all that significant. I do not know about stars..

The only real drawback I see with gobies is he does stir the sand into the water column and can coat the rocks over time. but I blow mine off regularly anyways soo..

[nodea717]

I have two yellow headed gobies in my 120. They are all I need to keep just the top of my 5" DSB clean. Works perfect and they are fun to watch! At night they sleep under a rock in the back of the tank. Substrate is always even and super clean.

[dippin61]

unless you have a very deep sand bed, and lots of it, a sand sifting star will decimate your live sand, eating everything in it, then slowly starving to death over months.

[Amphiprion]

^^ I agree with dippin61. IME, treating a shallower sand bed (2" and up) like a deep sand bed works well. However, I have noticed issues with constant large scale stirring in such setups. I would allow the infauna to do what they are supposed to do without any significant predation.

[Icehockey_whino]

I don't have any experience with a DSB or sifting stars. I do have a drogaon sifter gobie. He tanks great care of my substrate. Unfortunately, just recently he buried a trach. coral. It was in the tank for three months and he never touched it, then all of sudden he started to bury it. I blew it off but over a long weekend, he got the better of it.

[650-IS350]

I also have a pair of Dragon Sifting gobies and they go through the whole tank but do major renovations near their burrow... their in a 100 gal.

I have had experience with Diamonds, spotted, yellow heads. etc... sleeper gobies... the dragons seems to sift the most and is the most least agressive... you could put other bottom dwellers with out fear of them killing the others....

[korbynlehr]

So which goby would be a good choice to add to a tank that is a 60 gallon DAS tank. In it is 60 pounds live rock and 110 pounds live sand. Also has 2 blue/green chromis, 1 blue reef chromis, 1 mccoskers flasher wrasse, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 branching hammer coral, 1 xenia (that needs trimming), 1 capnella, 1 sps and 1 small ricordia. Plus about 20 nassarius and 10 blue leggers?

[Imdone]

What goby would be a good choice for a 180 with a couple tangs and clowns and a wrasse? I don't have a DSB, just swim with LR and lots of filtration.

Thanks.

[Jasontkd]

as longas they just sift the top layer they are fine