sand sifters

[gtownjeff]

In the Aquarium Fish March 2001 issue article about Deep Sand Beds it states that in order to have truly live sand that you shouldn't have sand stars or gobies(I have a mandarin gobie and a sand star). My sand definetly doesn't look as live as it once did, do I have to get rid of them in order to have the live "stuff" back into my sand.
Also, kind of unrelated but, is the algae that is on the glass and under the level of the sand ok?(like when you look at the tank below the sand level there is algae growing on the glass I just leave it because I'm not sure how to get rid of it).
Thanks

[rshimek]

Originally posted by gtownjeff
In the Aquarium Fish March 2001 issue article about Deep Sand Beds it states that in order to have truly live sand that you shouldn't have sand stars or gobies(I have a mandarin gobie and a sand star). My sand definetly doesn't look as live as it once did, do I have to get rid of them in order to have the live "stuff" back into my sand.

The mandarin is a dragonet, not a true gobie. Mandarins are fine, they simply pick small bugs off the substrate. This is fine.

The star is five-rayed death for a sand bed. This one should go back to the LFS to be sold to some other unsuspecting soul.

Also, kind of unrelated but, is the algae that is on the glass and under the level of the sand ok?(like when you look at the tank below the sand level there is algae growing on the glass I just leave it because I'm not sure how to get rid of it).

It is fine. You also have algae growing inside your live rock and even inside the skeletons of any stony coral you have in the tank. They're fine, too.

[Cracked Fish Man]

Oh boy, I hate when I see this stuff that makes me feel dumb:I bought 2 sand sifting stars, one for each of my tanks. The reason I bought them was to stirr up my sand bed to keep algae from growing etc. Am I to assume I should remove thease at once?( I recently set up a 10 gal refugum on my 225 to increase my critter life.) If so, what is the best cuke for a reef. Is there another name for mopping cucumbers? I have never sean one called this.

Thanks

The CFM


http://www.geocities.com/nicksreef/

[rshimek]

Dear CFM,

I would remove the stars yesterday. Last month if possible...:D

Functionally there are two kinds of cukes we see for sale in the aquarium hobby: filter feeders (= sea apples and few others, these sit on the rocks or walls and extend a crown of high branched tentacles into the water), and moppers (pretty much all others). When feeding the moppers will move slowly across the bottom using their oral tentalce to sweep or mop over the substrate collecting fine particulate detritus for food.

The moppers include all of the species of Holothuria, Stichopus, Parastichopus, etc. Generally these are an ugly brown or black color.