Sand Sifting Starfish

[Huly]

What are your experiences with a sand sifting starfish? Pez and are I considering getting one to sift our sand (our gobies did not work out and we gave them away). I read on live aquaria the following:

 

"Like other starfish, the Sand Sifting Sea Star will also consume small invertebrates, including shrimp, urchins, mollusks, bivalves, or other small sea stars."

 

We do have 2 LARGE Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Hermits, snails, and Porcelin crab.

 

Will the star eat them? Thoughts on them?

[Coral Hind]

I have never lost any cleaner shrimp to the stars I had. In fact the shrimp picked on the stars and would steal food from them. They never hurt any clams either.

[Huly]

I have never lost any cleaner shrimp to the stars I had. In fact the shrimp picked on the stars and would steal food from them. They never hurt any clams either.

 

 

Thanks did they do well on a deep sandbed?

 

Our sandbed is pretty deep as we know the jawfish liked it that way and for the gobies we had.

[matt bills]

I love mine

[Big Country]

They don't get much below the surface of the sand. Never had one bother any of my snails, crabs, etc. I got a nice big Sand sifting star from HOT last weekend and it's doing fine in my tank.

[Origami]

I don't think that your larger critters are at risk. They will sift through the sand looking for other stuff to eat, including very small snails, worms, etc. This may be what LiveAquaria is warning about.

[Muddy357]

I love mine and I have had no issues with them eating other critters.

[Huly]

Thank you everyone! We wanted to make sure

[onux20]

For those that have the stars, how big and old is your system? How long have you had the stars in the tank? I ask this because I thought they have a tendency to quickly eat all the micro fuana in the tank then slowly die due to lack of a food source. If Huly's system is too young or small, a sand star may not be good choice.

 

 

Also from LA:

 

"As such, the Sand Sifting Sea Star should be actively fed a varied diet consisting of natural food sources, especially in well-established marine aquariums. Otherwise, this voracious feeder will quickly clean your aquarium of detritus and then burrow into your substrate, starve, and eventually begin to decay."

 

I would also consider your ability/desire to feed it to keep it alive long term.

[Huly]

For those that have the stars, how big and old is your system? How long have you had the stars in the tank? I ask this because I thought they have a tendency to quickly eat all the micro fuana in the tank then slowly die due to lack of a food source. If Huly's system is too young or small, a sand star may not be good choice.

 

 

Also from LA:

 

"As such, the Sand Sifting Sea Star should be actively fed a varied diet consisting of natural food sources, especially in well-established marine aquariums. Otherwise, this voracious feeder will quickly clean your aquarium of detritus and then burrow into your substrate, starve, and eventually begin to decay."

 

I would also consider your ability/desire to feed it to keep it alive long term.

 

 

Thanks! We have a 66G Red Sea Max about 3-4 months old. We do not mind feed it at all. Pez enjoys feeding everything but what do they eat? Is my tank too small?

[Steve175]

I love mine and I have had no issues with them eating other critters.

 

Me too: we don't see them often, but they are cool when we do and they do seem to help keep the top layer of sand turned over a bit better.

[Origami]

I've kept smaller serpent stars in tanks for years. But I also occasionally target feed them a small bit of shrimp or something.