# Good animal sand sifter?



## Vpaw (Apr 21, 2013)

I have 3 tanks with sand, and I don't want to sift it myself, and I don't really do it much, just once a week during wc... What can I get to sift it for me?

20 gallon planted- titanium moon sand, has cherry shrimp, Cory catfish, apple snail, ottos, 2 plattys. 

5 gallon- african dwarf frogs

45 gallon- red tailed shark, angels, black skirt tetras, nerite snails, Molly's and I think I spotted some kind of small snail today, and it didn't look like a normal snail, so I'm hoping it's a malasyian trumpet snail... It's shell is kind of that shape but not as vivid..

Thanks!


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

My understanding, which could be wrong, is that you don't have to sift the sand but poke holes in it. I don't have sand so I can't advise on a sifter. I have gotten over run with the MTS that hitchhiked in on some plants, if you do have one or two it won't take long for them to multiply.


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## Crazyfish (Feb 3, 2014)

I think ram cichlids are sand sifters..... i keep them on gravel so i cant verify


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## Vpaw (Apr 21, 2013)

Crazyfish said:


> I think ram cichlids are sand sifters..... i keep them on gravel so i cant verify



Would they be appropriate for any of my sized tanks? Rams are very pretty, but since my angels are cichlids they can't mix? Maybe in the 20?


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## Crazyfish (Feb 3, 2014)

Rams should be fine with angels.... they may confront the redtail shark for territory but the tank is big enough for them. They would do ok in the 20 as well..... just not sure how they are around snails


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

I've never sifted, stirred or poked holes in the hundreds of pounds of sand in my tanks. I do have trumpet snails in all my tanks though.

The concern about the gas bubbles killing your fish is a theoretical one. Practically speaking, you have nothing to worry about. We see people start threads about every stupid little thing, and yet SOMEHOW, this poisonous gas bubble business is something that everyone manages to avoid. Now I'm not saying that it doesn't exist - I'm sure someone can go dig up a thread somewhere and say "see! It happened here!" To which I say "go find me 10 examples." It's just a really, really, really rare occurrence. I've got a combined 30k posts on forums - spent quite a bit of time helping people with their problems, and yet I can't recall a single case of gas bubbles killing fish....and I have a stellar memory.


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## sugar379c (Apr 5, 2014)

Rams are fine with snails. I have 4 mystery snails in with my two electric blues and they show no interest whatsoever in my snails.


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## Vpaw (Apr 21, 2013)

How are rams with Cory catfish? Red cherry shrimp?

And that's a good point, I haven't heard of it either, but it's still good to do, right?


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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Rams are fine with Corys. Shrimp? You could probably keep a colony If the tank were set up right. Some will be eaten though, no doubt.


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## Vpaw (Apr 21, 2013)

The tank is basically a shoal of corrys in a shrimp tank XD rams are pretty though... How much of a problem would the shark really be? And would one get used to my perimeters?


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## Crazyfish (Feb 3, 2014)

My rams are doing well in hard water with a ph of 7.2....i had them with my redtail shark and they got along until the rams were about to lay eggs. i saw a ripped dorsal fin on the shark which is twice their size so i got the shark out since they chose to breed in one of his rocks. They would have most likely settled had i let them figure out their own territories and this was in a 33 gallon.


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

I heard horse face loaches dig insanely. Never personally kept them though. Just a thought
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## jaysee (Dec 9, 2009)

Yes they literally LIVE in the sand. I haven't seen mine for months, though agent13 said she saw it while doing maintenance on my tank.


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## tankman12 (Nov 13, 2012)

jaysee said:


> Yes they literally LIVE in the sand. I haven't seen mine for months, though agent13 said she saw it while doing maintenance on my tank.


Do they like make a borrow than just live in it, and add to it??? Or do they make a bunch of small borrows??? Also do they eat pest snails???
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