Sand sifting sea star Questions

twintrades · 05/07/2010, 06:40 AM

hey there We bought a starfish so it would stir up the sand in our tank ( i cant clean our sant not enuf room)

Now i found out it will eat all the little life forms in our tank. Is this true ?

Will it come out durring feeding time so i can feed it also ?

After we acclimated it we looked at it breefly out of the water. Did we just inadvertantly kill it ?

will it try to eat my pepermint shrimp and cleaners ?

Tank is a 29 gallon with 45 lbs of rock and 2 pajamafish 2 clowns and a LM blenny. In about 2 weeks its going to be a 75 gallon.

fstar25 · 05/07/2010, 06:43 AM

We needs pics of the star. Many are reef safe and many are not. I have a sand sifting star in my 29 and it doesn't bother anything.

twintrades · 05/07/2010, 06:49 AM

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...572&pcatid=572

Its from drs fosterandsmith. So i know its reef safe. I just dont want to starve it and have it die and get a ammonia spike.

BTW we only have a 1 1/2 inch sand bed

Chris27 · 05/07/2010, 06:56 AM

Depending on the amount of sand in the new tank it may be ok, but they do need a lot of sand to survive in the long run. A sandsifting star feeds on the microfauna in a sand bed, and it will deplete the population rapidly, and slowly starve to death over the course of a few months.

They won't eat your shrimp or anything else - but you may want to find a new home for it unless you plan on having a deep sand bed (4-6") in the new tank.

Whisperer · 05/07/2010, 07:04 AM

I have one in my tank. It's like a cat with 9 lives. It wandered too close to my Vortex pump and got sucked and chopped it's one leg into pieces and another arm was deformed. It survived and growing new arm. Very active. I tried to feed it tiny chunk of table shrimp but he just went past it. It burrows under the sand for days. Climb up the glass now and then. I also have 2 sea cucumbers that ingest dirty sand and poops pellets of clean sand.

gasbatalla · 05/07/2010, 07:58 AM

You can also use a goby instead of the star

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/ble...tinggobies.htm

sfilipowski · 05/07/2010, 08:28 AM

I have a 34 gal and have had my ss star for over a yr, seems to be doing his job. I would like a gobie to but I have a purple chromis thats a Btard that nearly attacks everything new, I wish he would jump out of the tank cause thats about the only way I know to get him out. Good luck with you ss star

steelhead77 · 05/07/2010, 08:47 AM

IMO a 29 gal tank is way too small to support a sand sifting sea star for very long. It will eventually starve to death. A Goby would accomplish much the same thing but will also eat prepared foods so it's not likely to starve. Do him a favor and find him a bigger home.

IslandCrow · 05/07/2010, 09:12 AM

There are many species of these sand sifting starfish. Most are not very well suited to aquaria, especially reef systems as they are either not picky eaters and will rapidly deplete the beneficial microfauna in your sand bed, or they are very picky and rapidly starve to death. So, unfortunately, from everything I've read, what you've heard is true. The good news is, there's absolutely nothing wrong with these guys spending some time out of the water, so no, you didn't harm it in any way by doing that.

twintrades · 05/07/2010, 12:56 PM

We would liek to get a golden sleeper goby but I thouht we all ready have reached our max bio load for our tank with the 2 clowns and 2 pajama fish and the LM blenny.

Do you guys think it would Hurt our system to add a sleeper goby ??

steelhead77 · 05/08/2010, 12:21 AM

How are you params (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? Are they all at zero with the current bioload? If so, then you might get away with it. But I would advise against it. Especially with the sandsifting star in there. Wait until you get the 75 set up and going for a few weeks. Make sure you have a good skimmer too.

twintrades · 05/08/2010, 07:49 AM

Were getting rid of the star. I dont like the ides of it burrying its self to die. To much work in a tank to have a ammo spike and not know where to look.

tower16 · 05/08/2010, 08:19 AM

I would stay away from yellow headed sleeper gobie unless you want sand all over your corals.:fish1

twintrades · 05/08/2010, 08:20 AM

When we setup the 75 were gonna have one. Wifey HAS to have one.

Right now were not gettin any thing else. ecept mabey a yellow leather frag.

ramtmac · 05/08/2010, 10:47 AM

we got one of the sandsifter stars 2 days ago and is now under my sand.
what does everyone mean it will deplete the microfauna? What is microfauna?
I was told he would eat wastes?

I have a 55 gal tank with about an 1" sand bed

returnofsid · 05/08/2010, 11:34 AM

It's not that it'll eat all the life forms in your tank. It'll eat all the life in the sand bed, leaving you with a barren, sterile, sand bed. Replace it with a few Nassarius snails.

twintrades · 05/08/2010, 12:47 PM

I tookem back. I would like my LIVE sand to stay LIVE.

05/07/2010, 06:40 AM	#1
twintrades Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 671	Sand sifting sea star Questions hey there We bought a starfish so it would stir up the sand in our tank ( i cant clean our sant not enuf room) Now i found out it will eat all the little life forms in our tank. Is this true ? Will it come out durring feeding time so i can feed it also ? After we acclimated it we looked at it breefly out of the water. Did we just inadvertantly kill it ? will it try to eat my pepermint shrimp and cleaners ? Tank is a 29 gallon with 45 lbs of rock and 2 pajamafish 2 clowns and a LM blenny. In about 2 weeks its going to be a 75 gallon.

05/07/2010, 06:43 AM	#2
fstar25 Getting there Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Friendswood, Tx Posts: 884	Re: Sand sifting sea star Questions We needs pics of the star. Many are reef safe and many are not. I have a sand sifting star in my 29 and it doesn't bother anything. __________________ The only thing I know for sure is nothing! Carrie, why do you want someone in need to die? -iCam Current Tank Info: 29G BioCube with LED lighting, media basket, fuge (chamber 2), MJ1200 return pump, K nano & K 1 power heads, 32# LR, ~2" SB

05/07/2010, 07:04 AM	#5
Whisperer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Punta Gorda, FL Posts: 4,020	I have one in my tank. It's like a cat with 9 lives. It wandered too close to my Vortex pump and got sucked and chopped it's one leg into pieces and another arm was deformed. It survived and growing new arm. Very active. I tried to feed it tiny chunk of table shrimp but he just went past it. It burrows under the sand for days. Climb up the glass now and then. I also have 2 sea cucumbers that ingest dirty sand and poops pellets of clean sand. __________________ The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. --------- No one is born with intellect and age guarantees wisdom to no one. Current Tank Info: 120G reef, 30G sump, 10G QT tank

05/07/2010, 08:47 AM	#8
steelhead77 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Albany, Oregon Posts: 1,117	IMO a 29 gal tank is way too small to support a sand sifting sea star for very long. It will eventually starve to death. A Goby would accomplish much the same thing but will also eat prepared foods so it's not likely to starve. Do him a favor and find him a bigger home. __________________ This really isn't rocket science - it's more like marine biology. Current tank info: 180 gallon AGA, 40 gallon custom sump, AquaC EV240 skimmer, PM calc reactor, 3x 250w DIY MH, PCI CL-650 Chiller, 2x Koralia 4's, 2x Koralia 2's

05/07/2010, 09:12 AM	#9
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	There are many species of these sand sifting starfish. Most are not very well suited to aquaria, especially reef systems as they are either not picky eaters and will rapidly deplete the beneficial microfauna in your sand bed, or they are very picky and rapidly starve to death. So, unfortunately, from everything I've read, what you've heard is true. The good news is, there's absolutely nothing wrong with these guys spending some time out of the water, so no, you didn't harm it in any way by doing that. __________________ All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. Current Tank Info: I have a reef screen saver on my phone, does that count?

05/07/2010, 06:49 AM	#3
twintrades Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 671	http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...572&pcatid=572 Its from drs fosterandsmith. So i know its reef safe. I just dont want to starve it and have it die and get a ammonia spike. BTW we only have a 1 1/2 inch sand bed

05/07/2010, 06:56 AM	#4
Chris27 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 4,452	Depending on the amount of sand in the new tank it may be ok, but they do need a lot of sand to survive in the long run. A sandsifting star feeds on the microfauna in a sand bed, and it will deplete the population rapidly, and slowly starve to death over the course of a few months. They won't eat your shrimp or anything else - but you may want to find a new home for it unless you plan on having a deep sand bed (4-6") in the new tank.

05/07/2010, 07:58 AM	#6
gasbatalla Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Costa Rica Posts: 243	You can also use a goby instead of the star http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/ble...tinggobies.htm

05/07/2010, 08:28 AM	#7
sfilipowski Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: alabama Posts: 174	I have a 34 gal and have had my ss star for over a yr, seems to be doing his job. I would like a gobie to but I have a purple chromis thats a Btard that nearly attacks everything new, I wish he would jump out of the tank cause thats about the only way I know to get him out. Good luck with you ss star

05/07/2010, 12:56 PM	#10
twintrades Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 671	We would liek to get a golden sleeper goby but I thouht we all ready have reached our max bio load for our tank with the 2 clowns and 2 pajama fish and the LM blenny. Do you guys think it would Hurt our system to add a sleeper goby ??

05/08/2010, 12:21 AM	#11
steelhead77 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Albany, Oregon Posts: 1,117	How are you params (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? Are they all at zero with the current bioload? If so, then you might get away with it. But I would advise against it. Especially with the sandsifting star in there. Wait until you get the 75 set up and going for a few weeks. Make sure you have a good skimmer too. __________________ This really isn't rocket science - it's more like marine biology. Current tank info: 180 gallon AGA, 40 gallon custom sump, AquaC EV240 skimmer, PM calc reactor, 3x 250w DIY MH, PCI CL-650 Chiller, 2x Koralia 4's, 2x Koralia 2's

05/08/2010, 07:49 AM	#12
twintrades Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 671	Were getting rid of the star. I dont like the ides of it burrying its self to die. To much work in a tank to have a ammo spike and not know where to look.

05/08/2010, 08:19 AM	#13
tower16 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: bigfork mn Posts: 6	I would stay away from yellow headed sleeper gobie unless you want sand all over your corals.:fish1

05/08/2010, 08:20 AM	#14
twintrades Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 671	When we setup the 75 were gonna have one. Wifey HAS to have one. Right now were not gettin any thing else. ecept mabey a yellow leather frag.

05/08/2010, 10:47 AM	#15
ramtmac Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 407	we got one of the sandsifter stars 2 days ago and is now under my sand. what does everyone mean it will deplete the microfauna? What is microfauna? I was told he would eat wastes? I have a 55 gal tank with about an 1" sand bed

05/08/2010, 11:34 AM	#16
returnofsid Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,852	It's not that it'll eat all the life forms in your tank. It'll eat all the life in the sand bed, leaving you with a barren, sterile, sand bed. Replace it with a few Nassarius snails.

05/08/2010, 12:47 PM	#17
twintrades Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 671	I tookem back. I would like my LIVE sand to stay LIVE.

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