I got a sand shifter star fish yesterday. I put it my 70G tank. My star fish does not get into the sand. It just climb and walk around on the glass of tank. I get it back to the sand bed a few times. However, it will just go back up to the glass again. Is this normal for a sand shifter star fish?
question about Sand Shifter Star Fish
- Thread starter junxu95
- Start date
rustybucket145
New member
is your tank only a month old? If so there's no food on the sand for it to sift for, so why would it sift the sand?
sunfish11
Premium Member
junxu95,
Please understand that I am not trying to be mean or be the 'starfish police' here.
If possible you should return the star to the LFS. It will not have any food to eat in your tank and it will surely die of starvation over the next few months. Please trade it for something else and stay away from starfish at least until your tank has been up for awhile. They can have very demanding food and water quality requirements. The sandsifter is expecially difficult and plus it strips your sandbed micro fauna. It may take up to a year to fully starve, but will likely die much faster in your tank because it is so new. You will know it is dieing when it begins to lose limbs and disintigrate.
Lisa
Please understand that I am not trying to be mean or be the 'starfish police' here.
If possible you should return the star to the LFS. It will not have any food to eat in your tank and it will surely die of starvation over the next few months. Please trade it for something else and stay away from starfish at least until your tank has been up for awhile. They can have very demanding food and water quality requirements. The sandsifter is expecially difficult and plus it strips your sandbed micro fauna. It may take up to a year to fully starve, but will likely die much faster in your tank because it is so new. You will know it is dieing when it begins to lose limbs and disintigrate.
Lisa
sunfish11
Premium Member
If they wont take it back then you can try to target feed him mysis or other food by burying it in the sandbed for him. You can read more about sand sifters on Wetwebmedia.com The best thing would be to get rid of it and get something else so you can get some fauna established in your sand bed.
cool animal
rustybucket145
New member
IMO, you are just shooting yourself in the foot by keeping this star in your tank. It's going to starve to death and decimate your sandbed. It's really a loose - loose situation. Ok, so say best case scenerio the star lives for a year, depleats your sandbed and dies. Then it will set your tank back at least a year, if not more, for re-establishing your sandbed, PLUS the starfish just suffered a slow and long starvation.
What is there to gain from this??? Everybody looses! You, your tank and the starfish.
What is there to gain from this??? Everybody looses! You, your tank and the starfish.
steri
New member
If you want to keep him, I would be willing to bet you would have to target feed him at least daily, just to make sure he gets the nutrition he is supposed to be getting. Sand sifters starve to death slowly in home aquariums. Even bigger tanks (say up to 90 or 125 gallons). They can often live for about a year in a tank, and be starving for the last 6 months of their life. They will start to turn darker in color and then, as stated before, will lose a leg one at a time to attempt to save the core.
They are so readily available in LFS's, and so cheap as well. I can only assume that is because they are so easy to catch in the wild, becuase, IMO, they are really not good for home aquariums, as home aquariums and sand beds will eventually become depleted of the organisms they feed on because they will not be able to reproduce fast enough to feed the sand sifting star (stars can cover a lot of ground in your tank).
I'm sure you knew none of this when you bought him. Most people just think that stars look cool in their tank, and they do. I didn't know much of this at all when I first started looking into them. I almost bought one, but then I researched it and this was the info I found out about them. Stores try to sell them as algae eaters as well, so people end up buying them thinking they will serve that purpose.
Good luck with what ever you decide to do. But ya, if you keep him, plan to target feed him very regularly. They are constantly eating in the wild. Sorry we had to ruin a purchase I'm sure you wer happy and excited to make.
They are so readily available in LFS's, and so cheap as well. I can only assume that is because they are so easy to catch in the wild, becuase, IMO, they are really not good for home aquariums, as home aquariums and sand beds will eventually become depleted of the organisms they feed on because they will not be able to reproduce fast enough to feed the sand sifting star (stars can cover a lot of ground in your tank).
I'm sure you knew none of this when you bought him. Most people just think that stars look cool in their tank, and they do. I didn't know much of this at all when I first started looking into them. I almost bought one, but then I researched it and this was the info I found out about them. Stores try to sell them as algae eaters as well, so people end up buying them thinking they will serve that purpose.
Good luck with what ever you decide to do. But ya, if you keep him, plan to target feed him very regularly. They are constantly eating in the wild. Sorry we had to ruin a purchase I'm sure you wer happy and excited to make.
Gooli
New member
i know i go against the grain here when it comes to these sand sifting starfish but i had mine for well over a year and as far as "depleting" the sand bed goes...if waste keeps accumulating in the sand..it replenshes itself with more food for the starfish.
unless you're doing a deep sand bed...then it's not a good idea..other than that - no problem.
unless you're doing a deep sand bed...then it's not a good idea..other than that - no problem.
steri
New member
Gooli, you had good luck with yours and that's awesome. I won't down you for that. I only gave the info I learned when I researched them a while back, but I'm willing to admit that because you actually had one for a while, that your opinion is valid.
At this point, I think Junx needs to take in as much info as possible about these guys, to make the best informed decision as to what to do with his star. If what you did works, and Junx wants to keep him, I'm sure he'll be very intersted in how you got yours to live so well.
Personally, based on all I've read, I would be too nervous that my environment would not be suitable for a sand sifting star, but that's just my opinion.
At this point, I think Junx needs to take in as much info as possible about these guys, to make the best informed decision as to what to do with his star. If what you did works, and Junx wants to keep him, I'm sure he'll be very intersted in how you got yours to live so well.
Personally, based on all I've read, I would be too nervous that my environment would not be suitable for a sand sifting star, but that's just my opinion.
Deadeye
Premium Member
Good information here guys. I have a sand sifting star in my 75gallon with a deep sand bed. I got him cause I thought I wouldn't need to buy as many narsarius snails to keep the sand looking nice, which is true, but I think after reading this when I upgrade to my 125 I will take him back to the LFS unlesss I can catch him earlier, which I should be able too there not to fast.
complexbooger
In Memoriam
Im with Goolie on Sifters living more then a yr. ive had mine for about 4 months short of 2 yrs. I see it maybe once a day or when one leg is sticking out. But its never on the glass and never lost a leg.
My sand doesnt seem "depleted" yet...
But also my sand wasnt young. coming from a 6yr old tank.
=JonBlaze
My sand doesnt seem "depleted" yet...
But also my sand wasnt young. coming from a 6yr old tank.
=JonBlaze
