# Now that i got sand...



## Al-Losaurus (Jul 21, 2009)

What would be a good sand sifter to keep with Calvus im not to sure about snails as i dont want to have a massive amount of them appearing  

My sand is around 2 inches deep what would work well to keep a good amount of the sand moved around on a regular basis and also possibly breed to supply live food for the Calvus? Also will calvus eat newly born snails if i go that rout  ? would some sort of shrimp be better or what would tunnel its way around the sand all day?

i bought 2 plecos same size and put one in that tank and one in another much larger tank the one that's in the small tank is an absolute beast compared to the one in the larger tank as he is eating left over sinking pellets im assuming it is around 3 times the size of its sibling if not larger lmao but does absolutely nothing for the sand but crap all over it all day long...


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

I think your best best would be to grab a pair of chopsticks and stir up the sand every once in awhile. I don't recommend MTS as they will multiply to the thousands. I don't see my calvus eating snails so I wouldn't really count on it.

A good match up with calvus would be shell dwellers if you want an easy fish that will breed readily and supply your calvus with some fresh fry. My calvus get along fine with my brevis. The brevis stick to their shells and my calvus stick to their caves in the lava rock.

Oh and about the shrimp, they would just turn into an expensive meal for your calvus. They don't tunnel either but they would help with eating up some of the scraps if they don't get eaten first.


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

Pleco's will do nothing for sand, and no fish eats crap, so your choices are limited (see below). MTS snails may work, but will quickly over run your tank as they multiply very very fast, also your sand bed (in my opinion) is to deep, 2 inches is not really needed and it will also compact and hold toxic gases as waste breaks down. Do this test, stick you finger in your sand bed and as you reach the bottom if you notice the tempature is cooler than the surrounding water or surface sand your to deep, also you'll release gas (your aquarium might to..LOL) and get a nice whiff of rotten eggs..

#1 vacuum the surface of the sand to remove waste
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_changes.php (read about vacuuming)

#2 create enough flow that waste cannot settle in hopes it will be sucked up by filter.


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## Al-Losaurus (Jul 21, 2009)

i knew plecos dont do much for sand i cant stand them but my son loves the ugly things lol it does take up a few of the pellets left over tho. I have read a few articles about the gases and have been moving the sand around to some extent its only really 2 inches near the back of the tank and 1-1.5 at the front i used 20 lbs eco african sand and 20 lbs of regular black sand to darken it up. 

im actually planning to remove the pleco and put him in the bigger tank with way more water flow to keep the poop in check lol and the calvus already have a constant flow of live food from female guppies i put in there for a cleanup crew as ive noticed they eat algae and on occasion poop rofl also to provide live food.

but im just looking to add more life and movement to the bottom of the tank and sand the brevis sound cool do they sift and dig at all?


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

Not going to find to many fish that actually dig in order to stir up sand, best to do it by hand once or twice a month and vacuum weekly.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

You don't need to mix up the sand very often. You can do it once a month if you like. Just give it a quick mix when you do a water change.

Shellies will give you some life at the bottom of your tank but don't expect much if any sand sifting from them. Featherfins would do the job but I don't know how they do with calvus. Not to mention, I don't know the size of your setup.

I did have some Lamprologus Similis who for some reason liked to make hills out of my sand but I really don't know if that is gauranteed if you were to incorporate them into your setup. It was funny and strange at the same time. Worth a shot if you can locate a couple.


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

gucci17 said:


> I did have some Lamprologus Similis who for some reason liked to make hills out of my sand.


Most likely building a breeding nest area


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

gucci17 said:


> You don't need to mix up the sand very often. You can do it once a month if you like. Just give it a quick mix when you do a water change.


I never have, but a friend back in who kept cichlids alternated and did the right or left 1/2 his tank every 3-4 weeks at water changes. (It was a 180G so the whole thing would take too long I guess).

He just used his fingers and gently raked/stirred up the substrate while holding the gravel cleaner nearby to pick up the "shtuff" that was stirred up. I remember him saying he always wanted to get right down to the glass.

There's a vid on Cichlid Forum of a guy doing basically the same thing...
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/videos/cleaning_sand.php


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## Al-Losaurus (Jul 21, 2009)

Mr Fishies said:


> He just used his fingers and gently raked/stirred up the substrate while holding the gravel cleaner nearby to pick up the "shtuff" that was stirred up. I remember him saying he always wanted to get right down to the glass.
> [/URL]


Thats what i did and it worked well wasnt much sand kicked up into the water and only sucked up a very small amount. To fill it back up i used 2 boards i had left over for a stand placed it on top of the tank lifted a 8 or 9 gal bucket of water on top of the boards and siphoned it back in so i didnt kick up another mess it took a bit longer to clean but way more affective.


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## Comic Sans (Sep 19, 2009)

I've always just used my fingers. The issue isn't detritus so much as toxic gases from anaerobic bacteria. It's a little controversial as to whether this is even an issue in less than 4+ inches of sand, but I find best not to take chances. I have white san an after a few weeks you can see dark "swirls" on the underside of the tank. They disappear with a little raking.


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

If the gas in the sand shouldn't be toxic as it'll be diffusing into the water anyway. I stir my sand once or twice a year when I net fish. Almost all shellies did to some extent so you can use them for sand stirring action. Sandsifters will also stir the sand (i.e. Xenotilapia).


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