Sand sifting starfish

[mrok12]

I have a 6inch sand bed in my 65 gallon, have small diatom bloom on sand(miracle mud in sump) is it safe to get a sand sifting starfish, will this screw up my sand bed critters?

MROK12

[Ninong]

It would be a very bad idea. It would deplete the critters in the upper layer of the sandbed screwing up the balance in the entire sandbed.

Ninong

[organicreefer]

get youreself a tiger tail cuke.hell keep the sand nice and white for ya

[Gabriel]

Believe them about the sand sifter. I just took my white sand sifter A. typicus (named Grady, after the Grady-White boats) out of my 5" DSB 75 gal and moved it to a 29 gal with crushed coral. I thought sand-sifting would be a good thing, but I have been having a lot of trouble keeping the sand from turning brown. I don't even know if it is still live after 3 months. I may have to get a detrivore kit and reseed.

Anyone know if the little red star Fromia elegans is bad for the sand as well?

Gabriel

[cichlidfort]

I thought a sand sifting sea star will provide lots of movement in the sand bed thus having lots of oxygen in the sand bed. Isn't that a good thing?


Oh sorry about such an old topic I just want to know about the sand sifter. I was looking in to getting one. Sorry.

[Ninong]

I thought a sand sifting sea star will provide lots of movement in the sand bed thus having lots of oxygen in the sand bed. Isn't that a good thing?

These seastars specialize in feeding on sandbed infauna. They eat the critters in the upper layers of the sandbed. This has a detrimental effect on the population balance in the sandbed. Besides, each 4 cm sand sifting star requires at least a couple square meters of sandbed surface to thrive. In anything less than about a 300-gal tank, they usually starve within a matter of several months or less.

They are not scavengers by nature and don't even eat epifauna. They burrow beneath the sand and consume whatever life they come across in the sand beneath the surface. Then they move to a new spot and do it all over again. This disrupts the natural balance in the sandbed.

[110galreef]

So what if I used to keep these. I have noticed they don't live long. And have also learned kind of bad to keep. And I have the problem of the sand turning brown with a weeks time. Is this normal or can somthing be done to keep it from turning brown.

Some one mentioned a detrivore kit and reseed. What and where would you get this?

Also anyone have a link to one of these guys:--tiger tail cuke

Thanks

[Little Luey]

Gabriel
The fact that your sand is turning brown may indicate the presence of too many nutrients in the tank, try feeding less and skimming, also add more water movement so the filters and skimmer pick up the uneaten food from were it is settleing. How old is your tank?

[j_man]

try some good sand stirrers, cerith and nassarius snails. also use the detritus kit from inland aquatics.