Sand cleaning and stirring: Goby or Conch?

[rdriggett]

Hi all! My Nicrew gravel vacuum is pretty useless for keeping my sand clean so I'd like to try a living approach. My LFS recommends a diamond sand sifting Goby. R2R recommends a conch. Which one of these is the better option for my 40G? I'm also open to other options if neither of these are appropriate.

Current fish: Frostbite clown, bicolor blenny, exquisite firefish, geometric dwarf perchlet, royal gramma
Future fish: second clownfish, pink streaked wrasse
Current CUC: Collector urchin, mix of dwarf cerith, cerith, astraea and nassarius snails
Future CUC: Please tell me!

 

[Da_Neefer]

I have Conch's. Hard workers but don't seem to make a huge dent. I have had a diamond goby twice. They will jump. Lost both that way but they are literal bulldozers. No coral sitting on or very near the sand will avoid being knocked over, flipped, or buried. Also the stuff I have read about them is that they quickly work over your sandbed, stripping it of good critters.

 

[Srt4eric]

If you go with a goby that chalice will be buried..

 

[Arvin R]

My diamond goby was amazing until he passed. But no corals on sand that can be buried or else you'll lose them fast.

 

[DaddyHook]

I use conches. Interesting little creature.

 

[rdriggett]

I only have three corals on my sand that can easily be moved so I’m not too concerned with a goby burying them.

 

[svreef]

Sea cucumber all the way. They make lots of sandy turds.

 

[H2OPlayar]

I like the conch and nassarius snails that burrow

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Goby will be short lived...maybe a year
Sand sifting stars can work if your sandbed is deep enough.
I have 1 if not 2 in a 66”x24” footprint with a 4” average sandbed
Tiger tail cucumbers are great too

 

[kinetic]

I actually asked this question a couple of years back (both here and on other forums). The consensus was tiger tail cucumber after all the discussions.

 

[Marcus H]

Has anyone been able to keep hector's or rainfords long term for sand sifting? Small mouthfuls so they don't bury your stuff but the one I had never ate prepared.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Has anyone been able to keep hector's or rainfords long term for sand sifting? Small mouthfuls so they don't bury your stuff but the one I had never ate prepared.

They are way too small to be effective