What do sand shifting starfish actually eat?

[bkwonnn]

Hi guys,

Quit some topics allready about this but it seems hard to find the truth.
Some people say SSS eat bacteria in the Sand, other people say they spot feed them pieces of shrimp. Some say they eat pods.some say the don’t eat pods.
I found a video on YouTube of someone who kept his SSS for over 4 years now and the shrimp feeding actually works.

So are there people here who kept their SSS successful for a longer period of time, and how did they pull that of? What do you feed them?

I read a lot of people losing them in the first few weeks. I’m quite positive a lot of dose deaths have to do with adding vibrant to the tank.

 

[bkwonnn]

Here is the link to the YouTube video mentioned above

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Scientifically, we don't actually know. Based on other species in the genus (depending on the star's actual genus), they likely either eat bivalves and/or gastropods, or possibly detritus.

These starfish don’t eat algae in any meaningful quantities. They’re probably carnivorous, but may be detritivorous (see the quotes below). Personally, I’d try putting the star in an acclimation box with a dish of sand for it, and I’d try offering it a bunch of mollusks for it to eat (clams, mussels, oysters, and small but meat-eating snails like Nassarius snails would be my suggestions at this point), and see if it shows interest in eating any of them. If it does, then I’d try offering it more of that item in various sizes and see if it has a preferred food size.

I'd try something like clam, oyster, etc. and/or snail meat (you can find various frozen/live marine snails to try online, including conch meat, periwinkle snails, babylonian snails, etc.)

The quote below is specifically geared toward Astropecten spp. (predatory) sand sifting stars, but there is another genus of sand sifting stars called Archaster that is thought (importantly the diet was inferred, not studied in the research that this diet was pulled from) to be detritivorous (specifically, they are thought to be microphagous detritivores). I have heard but cannot confirm that Archaster spp. misidentified as Astropecten spp. may be more common in the hobby than actual Astropecten spp. are.

So, with this in mind:
- If your star is detritivorous (which may be a very big if), then you would likely want smaller foods than the suggested below (which is designed for predatory sand sifters). In this case, I'd suggest trying to mix something like TDO Chroma Boost into the sand for your stars to find.
- If your star is predatory (which may to our limited knowledge be possible at this point even if it is an Archaster sp.), then the below advice (and my advice above) is more likely to be useful.
- If your star is actually primarily a biofilm eater like Linckia spp. Protoreaster nodosus, etc. (which may also to our limited knowledge be possible for an Archaster sp.), then it's likely to die regardless of what you do or don't feed it at this point.

I’ve heard they climb the glass when they’re looking for food and can’t find any in the sand bed.

Generally, people recommend large tanks and waiting until your tank is established before trying these (or pretty much any) sea stars, and the star survives on detritus in the tank. Unfortunately, even in a lot of these tanks, after they finish clearing the detritus from the sand, they typically starve.

My current advice to avoid the star staving - which may or may not help, I genuinely don't know at this point (it could take someone months to years of testing it to find out for certain, as sea stars can last months without food):
Target feed the star things like clam on half shell, oyster, mussel, scallop, etc. (bivalves); snail, whelk, conch, etc. (sea snail gastropods); and a good quality omnivore food (like LRS Reef Frenzy or Fertility Frenzy). These are - according to the best sources of information I can find - the sorts of foods sand sifting stars consume in the wild, and the star should swallow these foods whole if they aren't too big - you might need to experiment a bit with the size of the pieces offered to get it sized just right, but generally I'd say err on the smaller side.

If you decide to give it a shot, let me know how it goes, and keep me updated on the long term survival of the star!

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I have had mine for around 7 years I think, I never spot feed it anything. It’s finding enough to eat in a 180g.

 

[fodsod]

I have had mine for around 7 years I think, I never spot feed it anything. It’s finding enough to eat in a 180g.

I've had both mine (2 different tanks) for abut 3 years and never fed anything specific for them. They seem to find plenty of whatever they eat in the sand even with my Watchman Gobies sifting the sand like machines daily. I only see them maybe once a week cruising around on top of the sand.

Interesting question though.

 

[bkwonnn]

Trying to feed it it in a small quarantine tank is interesting. Don’t know if the stress of that wil refuse it to eat but worth a try

 

[bkwonnn]

I just fed him ocean prime copepods and he really seems to love it