How do I feed my sand sifter star

[Dollarbill]

Hi i read awhile back that I am probably slowly starving my sand sifter because of a lack of food in the sand after they eat it all up. Is there a way to feed it anything? This guy is pretty big and is still in great looking shape but i dont want to starv him. Please Help! Thank you for your help. db

 

[Blown 346]

To help answer your question, I have had one for over 3 years. I dont feed it, but I have a decent sand bed of about 2 to 3 inches throughout the tank, and have a fuge. sand sifting stars can run out of food as the majority of them do.

This is fault by the sellers and not knowing how difficult they can be to keep alive. If you have plenty of rock and a decent sand bed you should be fine. If you still feel like you want to help out, you can always buy pods.

 

[mcwl]

I dont feed mine either

 

[custarring]

i have at least 2-3 in each of my tanks and never feed them directly.

 

[Dollarbill]

But they do eat pods? What else? Thanks again. db

 

[Shagsbeard]

Dosing phytoplankton can jumpstart the food chain... but these animals really need a lot of grazing area. Nothing is going to substitute for that.

 

[dippin61]

they only eat things that are 50 microns or less.. they dont eat pods, and theres nothing you really can feed them that they will eat. They are predators, not scavengers.

a SS star can easily wipe life from a 5" sandbed in a 75g tank in 2 months. And it can take upwards of a year or more for them to starve.

 

[Dollarbill]

Ya dippin61 thats what ive heard, and im not into starving him. 180gallon, 2 inch sand bed doesnt seem like enough and he moves alot everyday back and forth at least once for the length of the tank but he still seems healthy.. Any other suggestions.? thanks everyone. db

 

[Chago09]

I throw in sinking pellets and mine reaches out from under the rock and scoops them up. Everyone gets a kick out of watching it.

 

[Salamander]

For everyone that says their ss star is fine......just how long have you had it?

I've rarely seen anyone that has had one in their tank longer than 18mos. What a sad death when owners are in denial about the facts that they can not support this poor creature.

 

[Dollarbill]

What kind of pellets? Mine doesnt reach for anything he just moves and digs, moves and digs. db

 

[Chago09]

ummm mine ate pellets from the first day I brought it home. I had some HBH Spurlina sinking pellets that my tang loves and the star will just reach out and grab as many as he can. I never seen him not go for them before. The store I got them from they were all eating flake and pellets. Maybe just a good batch of trained stars. He must have had a dozen of them in a 55 gallon when I bought them and they would all go crazy when food was put into the tank

 

[Salamander]

Chago09...that sounds highly unusual. Maybe you have brittle or serpent stars, not sand sifters.