Sand sifting seastar care

[dhanking]

Don't know what to feed my sand-sifting sea star. I know it eats detritus in the sand which is probably what it has been eating for the last few weeks but I am afraid that the detritus in the sand may run out. Also right now it is climbing the glass and I don't think that is normal. Opinions please?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I’ve heard they climb the glass when they’re looking for food and can’t find any in the sand bed. These quotes are my current advice for these stars:

With sand sifting stars, most people recommend waiting until your tank is established before adding them - however, you might be able to target feed it with things like clam on half shell, oyster, snail or conch meat (a lot of places offer these frozen), a good quality omnivore food (like LRS Reef Frenzy) etc. It should swallow any of these foods whole, as long as the food isn’t too big for the star. They generally feed on detritus in our tanks, but target feeding might provide enough of the proper nutrition for them, and these are supposed to be some of the kinds of food they eat in the wild anyway. Plus, they are known for eating all of the detritus in our tanks and starving to death, so target feeding them larger food pieces relatively regularly might actually help it do better long term. No guarantees though.

If you decide to get it and try target feeding it, let us know how it turns out.

Mussel and whelk could potentially be fed as well, but with the mussel I've heard that clams may be more nutritious.

 

[dhanking]

That's great! I have some clam on halfshell available right now!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Obviously, they need a good layer of sand. Additionally, although slow moving, they eat plant detritus, uneaten foods and help to reduce the excess waste and maintain the water quality parameters of the tank. If oxygen levels, salinity, temperature and pH fluctuate, they will die. Copper-based meds will take them down also

 

[LgTas]

Only saw this post now. I feed mine reef roids with a baster that I push into the sand between its legs and slowly squeeze into the sand underneath it. 1 year and 6 months old and healthy as.

 

[M Stein]

Only saw this post now. I feed mine reef roids with a baster that I push into the sand between its legs and slowly squeeze into the sand underneath it. 1 year and 6 months old and healthy as.

How often do you feed him?
And how does he react? Does he show any sign of eating?
Also How large is your tank? Mine is a 15, So I need to know much to feed relative to your tank.

 

[Uncle99]

Only saw this post now. I feed mine reef roids with a baster that I push into the sand between its legs and slowly squeeze into the sand underneath it. 1 year and 6 months old and healthy as.

That’s great time for these guys.
I have not been overly successful with any stars, except maybe brittle and serpent types.
Nice to hear.

 

[LgTas]

How often do you feed him?
And how does he react? Does he show any sign of eating?
Also How large is your tank? Mine is a 15, So I need to know much to feed relative to your tank.

I probably feed two to three times a week. Initially he would move away from the disturbance but he seemed to click that there was a benefit and now doesn't budge and sinks down once I've deposited the food under him. Only feeding response I see is when an arm is partially against the glass, he's actively moving sand towards his mouth.

Tank is a waterbox 90.3 but there is alot of base rock so sand surface area is limited to front and sides. Current tank is 1 year 6 months old but he was previously in a 20 gal and only moved 6 months in post setup.

Weekly unfiltered NSW changes. Inspection of sand bed samples under a scope reveals a fair amount of micro fauna.

I would think a 15 gal will need some pretty consistent feeding for a star.

 

[LgTas]

A few times I've forgotten to feed for a week or two only to be reminded by him crawling up the glass.

 

[M Stein]

I probably feed two to three times a week. Initially he would move away from the disturbance but he seemed to click that there was a benefit and now doesn't budge and sinks down once I've deposited the food under him. Only feeding response I see is when an arm is partially against the glass, he's actively moving sand towards his mouth.

Tank is a waterbox 90.3 but there is alot of base rock so sand surface area is limited to front and sides. Current tank is 1 year 6 months old but he was previously in a 20 gal and only moved 6 months in post setup.

Weekly unfiltered NSW changes. Inspection of sand bed samples under a scope reveals a fair amount of micro fauna.

I would think a 15 gal will need some pretty consistent feeding for a star.

Thanks for the info.