Sand Bed Cleaning

[Joe Fish]

How often should you clean the sand bed?

 

[zoalover34]

i don't think it would be a good idea to clean ur sandbed b/c you will stir up everything in it that has settled.. just get snails and a sandsifter fish that should keep it pretty clean.. i may be wrong tho.. my tank's only been up for 3 months and my sand looks pretty clean to me but maybe it hasn't had that much time to get dirty?

 

[Joe Fish]

I usually clean it to pick up left over food. Maybe I'm sucking up all the pods??? I'm going to leave it go or a while and see what happens. I've cut back on my feeding amounts and feed 3 times a day now. I'm about to order a bunch of snails to help eat left overs. My starfish keeps the sand bed pretty clean. What are signs with a starfish that show they maybe be starving?

 

[zoalover34]

you feed 3 times a day! that's way overkill, how does your water test out? my fish eat 1 time a day.. there is no way that they need to be eating that much lol.. some people feed everyother day.. try and get a protein skimmer that should help with the leftover food ( probably from feeding 3 times a day!) if your water isn't testing out that great.. just my opinion as im a newbie and my not know what im saying..

 

[Joe Fish]

I do have a bak pak 2r. My nitrates are around 20 or so, but they just starting going backup since my fuge isn't hooked up right now. All other parameters are right where they should be. Maybe i'll go back to twice a day then. I try to target feed my yellow watchman gobie at least 2 twice a day.

 

[aresgod]

there is nothing in your tank that needs to be fed 3 times a day, once a day is plenty, I feed usually 2 times per week. Unless you have very finicky or difficult species there is no need to feed that much. Most people just end up poluting their tanks when they feed that much as there is no way their inhabitants can consume all of the food.

 

[Joe Fish]

Thanks aresgod. I'm going to set back my feedings. I see people on here all the time saying to feed so often though. What fish need this type of feeding? When I did the research on my fish some of what I read said to feed multiple times per day.

I have:
2 firefish
2 true percs
coral beauty
blenny
yellow watchman

 

[aresgod]

in my 40 I have 2 true perc, and a yellow watchman, I had a eiblis angel and a blenny for about 3 years in the tank as well. as I said I feed about 2 times per week. Certain fish like anthias or very picky angels, or some butterfly fish need to be fed often, otherwise 1 time per day is plenty.

 

[Joe Fish]

Thanks. I can see my nitrates going down already.

 

[TRe]

i feed once a day and all my tanks do fine.... as for the left overs the crabs take care of that and the goby cleans the sand bed.