Sea Cucumbers and DSBs

D

Darby

Okay... I've been pondering getting a sea cucumber or two for sandbed duty. I've got a DSB of about 6"-8" in my 150, as well as some Jawfish. My concerns are that the the SCs will collapse the Jawfish holes, and perhaps further disturb the DSB more than the Jawfish already do. But, I need them to do some surface work that snails and hermits just aren't doing...

Thoughts? Comments?

(I've tried sand sifting stars before, and I plan to avoid them in this tank)
 
@Darby wrote:
Okay... I've been pondering getting a sea cucumber or two for sandbed duty. I've got a DSB of about 6"-8" in my 150 said:
Buy em with confidence, they are one of the better crews for the bed, along with conchs. Get the tiger tail as its the most commonly used and doesn't pollute the tank if it gets eaten or dies like some of the others can (usually bright colored ones).
Click to expand...
 
Agreed.. they don't turn over the sand bed so much as groom the top layer. I'd still go for a small ORA conch and some nassarius snails, too.
 
I second the conchs, in a 150 2 to 4 would do the trick. The cukes would work too, they tend to just mop the top layer, so disturbing the DSB shouldn't be an issue. And to anyone else considering sand sifting stars (I know you said you weren't), they are terrible for a reef tank and are best left in the wild.
 
Nasarious don't seem to last too long in my tank for some reason, possibly the hermits. I have seen my Serpent Star taking food from them, which is really something to watch!

Ok, so Cukes and conchs it shall be!

Thanks all!
 
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