karinah Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Hi I am wondering if anyone has some good suggestions of a sand sifter I can put in with: 2 Blue Acara's 2 Firemouth 3 T-Bar 1 Bristlenose I have those Malaysian Trumpet snails in another tank but I dont really want them in this tank. Any help you can give me would be great :thup: -K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Why do you need a sand sifter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 How big is your tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 If your tank is big enough you could get Geophagus species. For a smaller tank B. cupidos would be good but I doubt you'll find them around, hehe As Alan said, Why do you want to sift the sand though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karinah Posted July 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Hi all Thanks for your suggestion. This particular tank is 57 gallons and there is a Geophagus Brasiliensis already in there but he/she has got too bossy (6") so has to move into my biggest tank with my other bigger G Brasiliensis. Hopefully they get along. Those buggers are so hard to sex. I have not moved the T-Bars or firemouths over yet. I have read that having a sand sifter is good to prevent toxic pockets from forming in the sand. Guess I could get another small G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 If you cannot add any more larger fish, then there is nothing wrong with raking the sand with your hands or with Gravel vac during water changes. You may find with the fish you already have that there may become issues with territories. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Hi all Thanks for your suggestion. This particular tank is 57 gallons and there is a Geophagus Brasiliensis already in there but he/she has got too bossy (6") so has to move into my biggest tank with my other bigger G Brasiliensis. Hopefully they get along. Those buggers are so hard to sex. I have not moved the T-Bars or firemouths over yet. I have read that having a sand sifter is good to prevent toxic pockets from forming in the sand. Guess I could get another small G. A few G. steindachneri... They sift like mad and do not get very big. Not sure where you are (you could add that to your profile) but hff has them in store now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 If you're worried about the sand developing dead spots then thin it down as much as you can, and get one of these for stirring it during cleaning; http://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/detail/view/magical-cleaning-rod-long/m/937/ I have 10 big altifrons in my 1400L and still stir the sand weekly. Still haven't figured out how to activate the "magical" part though... :facepalm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 I have used sand in planted tanks for many years and have never used anything to stir the sand. I leave the mulm to feed the plants and only remove it from the surface if it becomes excessive (which is very rarely) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karinah Posted July 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Sorry have just updated my profile - I am in the Waikato. However I am not adverse to travelling to hff as that is where I bought my Blue Acara's & second G. B from. I never have had any territory issues in my tanks as there is always plenty of caves and swimming space for fish to get away from each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 So how big is it? Most of the "sand sifting" species we get here grow to 8-12", so with the fish you already have you're going to want a good sized tank if you plan on adding more. I wouldn't recommend keeping an eartheater to keep your sand stirred though. If you are interested in keeping them for their behaviour and are willing to provide the right kind of food, environment etc to house them then go for it, but keeping any fish simply for housekeeping purposes is never a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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