Improved option to using base rock on tank bottom

[Marc G-L]

My UNS 120 gal arrives next week 47"x 24" rectalular bottom. As I considered how much reef sand at 1.5" depth would be available to support a sand sifting star fish, nassarius snails and/or a sand sifting goby an idea struck me. The 2 pieces of large marco base rock and an additional medium base would sequester a lot of area needed by those organisms to feed and survive.

As shown in my pictures m, zi decided to put marco cement 1.5-2" rock under these bases, thereby lifting them to the height of the sand. Now the starfish, snails and microorganisms can utilize this vastly increased area and it will be living and functional.

 

[56longroof]

I would pass on the sand sifting starfish. It will run out of food in a relatively short time and starve.

 

[Marc G-L]

I have two (2) 1 gal containers incubating St. Pete tidal sand complete w/ large quantities of sea lettuce, crustacean like creatures, non bristle worms, west indies false ceriths and other planktonic creatures. The second contains East coast oceanic Florida sand and sargassum weed with similar critters. I intend to introduce those to the tank and also dose for 4-6 months Phyto plankton and, copepods adding either rotifers or isopodsbefore introducing the starfish .

Do you still think a sand sifting star would starve under those conditions?

 

[56longroof]

I have two (2) 1 gal containers incubating St. Pete tidal sand complete w/ large quantities of sea lettuce, crustacean like creatures, non bristle worms, west indies false ceriths and other planktonic creatures. The second contains East coast oceanic Florida sand and sargassum weed with similar critters. I intend to introduce those to the tank and also dose for 4-6 months Phyto plankton and, copepods adding either rotifers or isopodsbefore introducing the starfish .

Do you still think a sand sifting star would starve under those conditions?

Sadly yes.

 

[56longroof]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/what-do-sand-sifting-starfish-eat.723383/

 

[rayadog]

Little late but fwiw, worms and such are still able to get under my flat base rocks; added sand after.

 

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Do you still think a sand sifting star would starve under those conditions?

It's not so much the setting up, but it's the ongoing heavy heavy feeding that provides enough food particles in the substrate.