Sandsifting Star - Compatible with my fish?

[Engloid]

I am considering a sand sifting starfish to help keep my substrate mixed up and clean. Will he be compatible with my other inhabitants? Will he cause a problem with my pod population (food for the mandarin and wrasse)? The wrasse does eat fed foods, but hunts about 8-10hrs a day for pods.

I have a 125gal tank with probably 200lbs of live rock.

I have in the tank:
Red Coris Wrasse
Blue hippo tang
2 ocellaris clowns
1 maroon clown
1 three stripe damsel (not aggressive towards others at all.)
Dragon goby
Manradin dragon (goby)
watchman goby and his pistol shrimp
a few astria snails and turbo snails
probably 20 small hermits
about 30 coral frags, primarily soft corals
about 2-2.5" of substrate

Any other things I should consider getting instead? Any other problems that could arise?

 

[><((((o>]

From the stuff they mention in wet web media it should be okie since SSS will only eat of the sand while fishies eat of the LR.

 

[cdeboard]

Have had 2 of these. Had a LARGE one (probably 7" or so) in my 125. Ended up trading him in when i downsized. I have roughly a 4" now in my 90g. I also have a mandarin. I love sandsifting stars.

 

[Engloid]

I realize that the SSS will mainly stay and eat from the sand, but that's where many of the pods will live. I wonder if he will eat the pods? Perhaps the pods are too fast for him, but he would eat them if he could, or maybe he's just not interested in them.

I just don't want to wipe out my pod population, since I have the wrasse and mandarin.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I doubt it would eat the pods, but could very well clear out the sandbed of any other life that the pod population may suffer.

IMO, I wouldn't bother getting one, in time it will stripe your sandbed clear of any life and then slowly starve to death.

 

[Koshmar]

They don't eat pods they eat microfauna in the sandbed. I had one that I got to feed off of silversides and mysid shrimp (frozen). Neat little creatures and one of the few inverts that are compatible with mantis shrimp. However for the most part many suggest not purchasing them because of their diet. IMO it's still debatable, and there are many species of "SSS" but I guess it's best to not take chances.