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Sand Stirrers For Your Deep Sand Bed

By Stan & Debbie Hauter, About.com Guides

Looking for something to keep your deep sand bed stirred up? How about some critters to keep your sand substrate free of uneaten food? The following scavengers are great choices. Sand stirrers prefer a thick sand substrate so they can scour for organic foods.

1. Sea Cucumbers

Keoki Stender

Black Sea Cucumber (Holothuria atra)
Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber (Holothuria sp.)

Please note: If the sea cucumbers are attacked or injured, they may expel their internal organs, which can be toxic to fish. In the wild, they will regenerate those organs, although this regeneration rarely occurs in an aquarium setting.

2. Snails & Conchs

Bumble Bee Snail (Pusiostoma sp.)
Cerith Snail (Cerithium sp.)
Fighting Conch (Strombus alatus)
Nassarius Snail (Nassarius vibex)
Queen Conch (Strombus gigas)
Super Tongan Nassarius Snail (Nassarius distortus)

3. Starfish

Adam Schneider

Sand Sifting Sea Star (Astropecten polycanthus)

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