Sea star OK in a bare bottom frag tank for a while?

[ScottB]

My DT has a 3 year old sea star, but sadly now also has asterinas. Had the asterinas not developed a taste for Tubbs zoanthids, I would not be shopping for a harlequin shrimp.

But they did, so I am.

I have a couple frag systems that can home my big sand sifting star. Will he be OK without sand for a month or so?

 

[Tahoe61]

A month or so seem to long to me for a starfish that consumes the flora and fauna of sandbeds.

 

[ScottB]

A month or so seem to long to me for a starfish that consumes the flora and fauna of sandbeds.

Thank you @Tahoe61 I hear your point.A month is my best guess as to how long it will take for the H Shrimp to do their business on the asterinas, and just don't really understand the sand star's dietary habits that well.

So let me ask a different question about the Harlequin shrimp. Any chance they stick with eating the 100+ asterinas my display and leave the sand star alone? I have heard that they will just hang on to my big guy. Could not take that.

 

[Tahoe61]

I wouldn't risk it. Know anyone else with an established tank?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I don't understand why you would purchase a sand-sifting star with no sand?

As for the asterinas, I just pluck them out with a pair of medical forceps every time I see one. I've killed over 300 by now, and they don't stand a chance as long as I don't get lazy

 

[ScottB]

I don't understand why you would purchase a sand-sifting star with no sand?

As for the asterinas, I just pluck them out with a pair of medical forceps every time I see one. I've killed over 300 by now, and they don't stand a chance as long as I don't get lazy

The star is in my display with acres of sand. I need to temporarily re-home him while I bring in mercenaries.

I was picking the asterinas off, but got lazy and they exploded. With 150 lbs of rock reef, I don't stand a chance of knocking them back manually.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Here is quote from another thread about alternative predators for them.

Red thorny starfish (Echinaster echinophorus) will eat them and they are fun to have around the tank. I kept one in a reef for years and never saw it mess with any corals or other inverts, but I've seen mixed reports about them potentially going after tube worms, sponges, and mollusks. One random note, although they do prey on some sponges, they do not eat red tree sponges. They will eliminate asterina stars pretty quickly. Mine would eat pellets and left over food after it wiped out the asterinas.

Blue Linckias will eat them too.

Whether or not the triggers would munch on starfish depends on the trigger.

And bumble bee shrimp eat asterinas but they would stand less chance than a harlequin shrimp.

You could also temporarily rehome your sand sifter while the harlequins go to work.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

The star is in my display with acres of sand. I need to temporarily re-home him while I bring in mercenaries.

I was picking the asterinas off, but got lazy and they exploded. With 150 lbs of rock reef, I don't stand a chance of knocking them back manually.

I have 125 lbs of live rock, and I've all but decimated them I pluck them out of the DT will forceps, and I vacuum them out of the sump during water changes.

 

[ScottB]

I have 125 lbs of live rock, and I've all but decimated them I pluck them out of the DT will forceps, and I vacuum them out of the sump during water changes.

Yeah, I've been giving it a go plucking them off. Here is a pic of my second harvest from last night. About 40 mins of work.

They are bothering/eating my rastas and Tubbs. Definitely munching on my blastos. Sadly, they have no taste for my no-name zoanthids that have run amuck.