Are Sand Sifting Starfish worth getting?

[that Fish Guy]

Nassarius are great. They eat detritus and sift the sand.

But won't they deplete the sandbed of everything like the starfish.

 

[uny2bld]

But won't they deplete the sandbed of everything like the starfish.

no, they would probably eat some pods, scuds, etc if they could get a hold of them but stars are much more adept at that kind of behavior...

 

[jBugg]

I have a serpent starfish now and I'm on the fence whether to keep it or not. If I put it on my fuge, will the serpent end up eating the pods there? I'd like to have a good population of pods for a future mandarin purchase.

 

[uny2bld]

I have a serpent starfish now and I'm on the fence whether to keep it or not. If I put it on my fuge, will the serpent end up eating the pods there? I'd like to have a good population of pods for a future mandarin purchase.

what species of serpent star? Many are really good predators and yes, they will deplete your pod population if it is big enough.

 

[jBugg]

It looks like a banded serpent. It is brown and at least 5 inches across from tip of tentacles. Someone gave it to me and said it was reef safe.

 

[schatzi]

I have a sand sifting star in my 125 with a shallow sand bed. It wasn't a planned purchase, part of a massive haul I got off CL for a great deal. But it's been 7 months now and the star is fine, everything is fine. I have no idea where I am in the world of over or under feeding my tank but everyone's fine and levels are great. maybe it's a matter of time, but hey that's life.

Having said all that I would follow the advice of everyone else and not get one, because frankly most of these folks know more than me and they seem to be rarely wrong.

 

[Crush Coral]

Hmm. I have had one for 3 years in my 75. It was doing good till I started gravel vaccuming my sand and then it was starving and it's legs were being consumed by itself. I have cut my vaccuming to once every 4 months and it is growing it's legs back slowly. I can look in my tank next to the glass and see bugs so it does not eat them all. Do not know how it could moving at .0000000000 inches per hour.

 

[TimeConsumer]

ok so if someone really wanted a star what would be the minimum/ideal tank size and best type of star to get?

Get a Linkia. They're not hardy, but if you have stable parameters and acclimate properly they are a great starfish to have. They eat bacterial film on rocks and glass mostly.

 

[worm5406]

I can look in my tank next to the glass and see bugs so it does not eat them all.

Nope those are quick to move. Normally does not eat those unless they are dead.


This is what it eats:

This is what I eat:

 

[tang named junkyard]

I say yes, big time. I wake up in the morning and the sand bed looks new. In my last tank I had the small worms in the sand bed. They are also on my live rock. I got 2 in my tank.

 

[ptreef]

I have tried a few over the early yrs of my reefin days and they all seemed to perish in a 100+ gallon tank over a 6mos period or so....

 

[anbosu]

I have one only because it came with a 29 gallon biocube I bought. It is doing well in my downstairs tank (156) and is about 3-4 inches across. They can move pretty quickly and I see it cruising around my tank almost every day.

 

[treetopflyn]

I have a brittle star and Diamond Goby to keep sand clean.

 

[Chicago]

carefull.. i have had serpents eat my small fish.. green ones are quite the prediator.

 

[johnike]

Another cucumber and brittle star fan here.
Sand sifting stars are Harlequin Shrimp food.

 

[Bretts05jeep]

I like sand sifting stars. There will always be one in my tank. I guess its all about what you like and want.

 

[Chicago]

by the way.. i have many in my DT but i also have a large sump wiht DSB. so really the DT sand is for athetics.. and they do a nice job of turning over the sand

 

[SushiGirl]

We keep a tiger tail conch for sifting sand. The nassarius just come out for food. I'd skip the sand sifting star, it usually takes 6 months for them to starve to death.

 

[Misled]

 

[worm5406]

5 month old thread brought back to life... LOL...

I had not seen that one in a while.

Jesse... LOL.... no comment...

How much does it make a week?