best sandshifting fish

[genzod66]

what is a good sandsifter that is easy to deal withy,thanx

[Demonic]

Golden Headed Sleeper Goby
Diamond Goby

[Justinandkrista]

http://www.utahreefs.com/TOTM2005/Ap...per%20Goby.JPG

Golden head sleeper goby. Fun to watch but iv heard they can make a mess with the sand.

[dsn112]

my yellow watchman goby sifts sand at night alot.

[nash1999]

I have a couple of Sleeper Gobies - great at cleaning the sand but be sure
you have a solid base of rocks - they will remove all of the sand underneath
that isn't resting on the glass bottom to find places to hide.

[skiguy411]

I have been looking for a sand sifter for awhile too. My main concern is that they will cause the rocks to collapse since I dont have them attached to each other.

Is this common with all sand sifters?

[ahullsb]

It is common with sand sifters. If you buy a diamond goby, keep an eye on it to make sure it stays fed. I've heard they need a large sandbed to keep from depleting it as a food source. I finally gave mine back because he was getting too skinny in my tank. They are really cool, but I've noticed my water column is much clearer now that the goby isn't kicking sand up all day.

[papagimp]

Just FYI, they're are other sand sifting non fish livestock you can get. Such as using nassarius and cerith snails, fighting conches, and similar speceis. In case you worry about a rock slide. I am currently holding an engineer goby for the boss, after a rock slide from him digging and crushed the poor fishy. for a fish that can only use half it's body, he's doing suprisingly well now. I've also had similar "close calls" with my yellow headed jawfish, who's a severely active digger. So I went with more snails and CUC sifters vs. a sandsifting goby or anything. Just some thoughts to share...

[Sk8r]

The safest sandsifter is a yellow watchman goby, does a good job in a 50g.
For larger tanks, maybe a diamond, but they are VERY active, and tend to starve to death if tank is too small. They also throw sand.

Starfish are OUT. Bad idea, generally.

Best solution: large nassarius snails, about 10 for a 50; and/or some fighting conches, about 1 per 50g. Spend almost all their time under-sand, cleaning.

I put my rockwork on eggcrate before the sand went down: prevents slides with vigorous cleaners...but if you have ambitions to have a mandarin or other pod eater, avoid the vigorous sand-throwers like the diamond. [also avoid wrasses].

[jlt23]

My diamond goby made a mess. He would move sand from one side of the tank to the other. He would also pick up snails and crabs and throw them on the other side of the tank. He was a pig too, but he wasn't starving. He was big and fat and ate anything I threw in the tank. I now have a twin spot goby and a tiger tail cucumber.

[Newlin]

I put in a Horseshoe crab and he does a pretty good job. I have a Dragon Goby as well but he is a picky eater. He only takes small mouthfulls of sand and I have algae all over the sand because of him. I want my Diamond back but I have to put the lids back on and seal the tank. They will find any little hole in the top and they will jump out. I have lost two due to jumping but both where small and they where running from other fish in the tank.

[Tahlequah]

I have had a diamond goby for about 2 years now. As long as the base of your live rock is either sitting on the bottom of the tank or on egg crate you should be fine. I enjoy watching my goby move the sand around his tank. Right now he is trying to decorate his home with the shells that I have in my tank for my hermit crabs. The main reason they dig is to make a suitable home under the sand.

I think my goby has some sort of sonar as when its time for the lights to go off he dives head first into the sand that he uses to cover up a cave. I guess if he missed it would hurt really really bad as he is gone in a flash.

[guardrail]

wierd because my diamond watchmen never touches the sand he just waits till i feed and then pigs out...

[SFeST]

I guess my diamond goby was well behaved. I had one in a 55 for years who kept the sandbed flawless as well as eating normal fish food. Never caused rock slides or stirred up the sand too much. I plan on getting a pair for my 100 that I'm currently cycling.

[NYIntensity]

Sk8r, why are starfish out?

[gatordoc]

My engineer goby is great at sifting sand. But he is so good, he can bring your rockwork down...