Sand Sifting Sea Star not doing well...

[KSwim_With_Fish]

I have had a sand sifting sea star for less than a year and it is not doing too well. It climbs up the glass but when it fell back down this time it wasn't strong enough to flip itself back over I flipped it back over and it is doing okay but I know it has to be weak. Just learned that this fish needs to have a DSB and a mature tank this one put in in the first 3 months of the tank running. I only have a one inch sand bed so it is not sufficient.

Is there anything I can do???
Any supplements or food for it?

Is my only option to re-home it?

 

[KillerOctopus]

If you would like to try adding some already cultured sand to your tank without stiring too much sediment up I'd try that. Gives him a chance.
It could also be his time to go as well

 

[KSwim_With_Fish]

I doubt it is his time to go the grow up to a foot he is only 3"....

Where would I find cultured sand? Just another bag of live sand or something?

 

[romunov]

The star has depleted every morsel of food and is starving. It will probably not make it (none of them do).

 

[KSwim_With_Fish]

So what do I do to it?

I think it is still alive just too weak to move and I don't want it to foul the water what do I do with it?

I have not QT tank

 

[lancer99]

Just remove it from your tank and flush it ....

Sorry if that sounds harsh.

Sand-sifting stars are just a terrible idea in general...they deplete all the infauna in your sandbed (exactly what you don't want), then die of starvation.

It's a shame that people sell them.

-R

 

[KSwim_With_Fish]

Well I got tricked into it... I know now it surprises me that I didn't do any research about them though as I usually always research even too much about something......

 

[KSwim_With_Fish]

Well I got tricked into it... I know now it surprises me that I didn't do any research about them though as I usually always research even too much about something......

 

[lancer99]

Stuff happens!

Sand-sifting stars get recommended soooo often. We all occasionally buy the wrong things, whether from lack of research or just plain bad advice. So don't beat yourself up about it

-R

 

[KSwim_With_Fish]

Okay but will all the stuff in the sand repopulate?
I bought it so it would stir the sand so the algae wouldn't be apparent on top of the sand so what would be the best thing for that in my case? Just a 20g High so same footprint as a 10g...

 

[romunov]

Try adding a little sand from a booming tank.

 

[bph0013]

Yeah, if you reseed it it will come along faster but your liverock will probably reseed it naturally because most of the same creatures that live in the sand live in the rock.