Sand Sifting Starfish - Lets hear your thoughts!

[tutmatt3]

Sup guys,

So yeah, I was @ the LFS, and as you can assume, they convinced me it def. wouldn't hurt to grab one. So of course as you all can assume, did some research after the fact and began to learn a bit more of this guy.

Mine is about 3" right now, and I'm seeing a ton of back & forth that it'll die/starve to death, and others saying they've had them for a year+ with no problems.

Got him Wednesday, did a 2 hour acclimation, and still alive (lol).
Yesterday he was literally traveling alllll throughout the tank, from side to side - up the rocks, down the rocks, on the glass. Is this normal behavior, or perhaps its searching for food? Still have a small amount of diatoms on the rocks, and some GHA here & there.

Tank is a 55gal w/ 60lb live sand, and 35 dry rock.

Love to hear your guys experiences (those who have had them)

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

When my tank cycled I bought one to keep the sand mixed up. Have not had an issue with mine except he does not get on rocks or glass. "It stays where it's told"

 

[tutmatt3]

When my tank cycled I bought one to keep the sand mixed up. Have not had an issue with mine except he does not get on rocks or glass. "It stays where it's told"

Nice! How long ago was that?
We'll see if it stays where it's told today lol

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

About 2 1/2 months ago comes out when I feed too. It's never left the sand rocks are covered in coral.

 

[wkscott]

These stars can quickly wipe out their food source in a 55g tank. Your tank sounds rather new so there probably isn't much food to begin with . I had one in a well established 90g tank. After a few months it died, I'm guessing from starvation . It died under the sand at the front glass so I was lucky to see it. When I pulled it out , it was starting to rot. Could have ruined my tank with ammonia . Be very careful .

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Mine eats krill every 2 days takes it off the top of the sand.

 

[wkscott]

Take a look at this article:
http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/sand-sifting-starfish-job-too-well-done-astropecten-4399/

 

[kenny80]

I'v had mine around 3 months now in a 6 month old 30g system, he was moochin around for a while but now he's settled. I also have a mandarin and blenny and feed blood worm which tends to settle at the bottom of the tank and iv seen him taking that. I do feel however that he has hammered my pod population. Only time will tell.

 

[wkscott]

Check out this thread from today:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dissolved-sand-sifting-sea-star.292174/

 

[tutmatt3]

Ouch

Thanks for sharing

 

[ebushrow]

IMO this falls into the realm of "leave it in the ocean for now" they work for people with large established aquaria but they never really thrive in out tanks.....just kind of subsist.....just my opinion though.

 

[njtiger aquariums]

Let me tell you about my sand star. I had a 54g corner tank with about 80 or so lbs of live rock and about 40 to 50 lbs of live sand. I first picked up a britt sea star to help my cuc. He did ok with the large food that made it down to the sand. My snails and crabs were doing ok but my sand was still not as clean as I thought it should be. I picked up a sand star from a local petco (only thing I have purchased from a petco) and he did great in my tank. I did just as you did and knew it could be hit or miss with these guys. My sand star went for 2+ years with zero issues. There were a couple of times I thought he might be a goner but then next thing I see is him moving around. He never went on my rocks but once in awhile he would climb my glass; my kids would get a kick out of watching him climb up and fall back down. One might think this story has a sad ending and in a way it does. I had to break down my tank for personal reasons which meant I had to sell my live stock off. I had a buddy purchase all of my live stock (including sand star) about a month ago. I want to note that I had a heavy stock tank and I might had feed heavy as well. My sand star did a good job with my CUC to keep my sand clean

 

[Roy 9121]

I have a 55 gallon tank with a 3" sand bed. I had a SS star for about two years, it was cool, never a problem. But it just died one day. Don't know off it starved or what.

 

[tutmatt3]

I have a 55 gallon tank with a 3" sand bed. I had a SS star for about two years, it was cool, never a problem. But it just died one day. Don't know off it starved or what.

That's great to know that it lasted! I mean just like with any animal, they can go at any moment for one reason or another. The dude at the petstore told me that he saw one go when he topped off his evaporated water with RODI ,that caused a 'quick' salinity swing, which we all know they are super sensitive to.

Let me tell you about my sand star. I had a 54g corner tank with about 80 or so lbs of live rock and about 40 to 50 lbs of live sand. I first picked up a britt sea star to help my cuc. He did ok with the large food that made it down to the sand. My snails and crabs were doing ok but my sand was still not as clean as I thought it should be. I picked up a sand star from a local petco (only thing I have purchased from a petco) and he did great in my tank. I did just as you did and knew it could be hit or miss with these guys. My sand star went for 2+ years with zero issues. There were a couple of times I thought he might be a goner but then next thing I see is him moving around. He never went on my rocks but once in awhile he would climb my glass; my kids would get a kick out of watching him climb up and fall back down. One might think this story has a sad ending and in a way it does. I had to break down my tank for personal reasons which meant I had to sell my live stock off. I had a buddy purchase all of my live stock (including sand star) about a month ago. I want to note that I had a heavy stock tank and I might had feed heavy as well. My sand star did a good job with my CUC to keep my sand clean

Thanks for the story! It's stuff like this that give me reassurance that it's worth a shot.
I'm personally not a fan of the "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!!" that I read all over the net at times, which I know for one reason or another can hold a considerable truth, but if proceeding with caution & doing everything right, then why not give it a chance.

 

[Preme]

These stars can quickly wipe out their food source in a 55g tank. Your tank sounds rather new so there probably isn't much food to begin with . I had one in a well established 90g tank. After a few months it died, I'm guessing from starvation . It died under the sand at the front glass so I was lucky to see it. When I pulled it out , it was starting to rot. Could have ruined my tank with ammonia . Be very careful .

+1.
I personally don't like sand sifting stars unless you have a very large system where it take a very long time for them to go throughout the whole sandbed. I personally prefer nassarius snails which are alternative!

 

[AZDesertRat]

Worst thing I ever did was place a sand sifting star in my well established (2 years) 330lb 5-6" deep Southdown DSB. The sand was crawling with life at the time but in a matter of weeks the star was fat and happy and my DSB looked like the barren Sahara Desert.
The star went back to the LFS and my sandbed took years to recover thanks to donations of live sand from all my friends to recharge it. Never again!

 

[brandon429]

I see them as contributing to bed loading of whole pellet waste. If someone wants one for the biodiversity of having stars in their tank and want to ensure enough bed food is avail that sounds to me like a dedicated setup. but for the most part, people are putting these in to -clean- their beds and in actuality its just exchanging live animal forms for degradable pellet forms of mass in the bed unless actions from true turnover animals liberate those waste stores before they sink and degrade. Add to that a majority of sandbeds that are ran untouched/hands off and it seems to me these stars are just bioload in the average tank and usually in a way the keeper can't enjoy seeing the animal. its just creeping along, contributing to sandbed limited storage space imo

I bet a dedicated system could use the amano planted tank bed and soil injector (where they replace ferts in a sandbed in planted tanks via long injector) to shoot cyclopeeze in a bed and those stars would seek out the injection spot.

 

[sbash]

This has been an interesting read.

I have a 220 gallon, with a 3" (x 72 x 24) sand bed and a single sand sifting star. He is pretty big now, it has been close to a year (5" across maybe, hard to say, I rarely see him). The LFS recommended I get three of them, but that seems a bit much to me and I have been happy with just one in this size tank. He sometimes surfaces, and occassionaly starts climbing the glass (goes up maybe 10" before retreating). I have never seen him on the rocks...

 

[tutmatt3]

Very interesting points from everyone.
I just wanted 1 since hey, having a starfish is cool! And I like the look of these guys compared to others like a serpent.

I didn't necessarily get it to keep the sand clear. I just liked having a starfish. He was out again today, on the glass / rocks. My peppermint shrimp showed some interest in him, but then retreated.

He was SUPER active @ the store too. We'll see how he goes!

 

[brandon429]

if I had one id be interested to see what kind of feed I could train it onto. I think it w take anything basically, would be curious to know if they reject meaty items in favor of living sb creatures. I think cyclopeeze makes all marine animals react like crack