deep sand bed question

[sparkymedic]

i have a dsb and i have been reading here that you want to leave it be or you can stir up a lot of toxins. my question is a friend wants to give me her sand siffting star fish and i was wondering if it would stir up toxins or would it be benificial to maintaning a healthy sand bed.

 

[markanderson]

That is beneficial. Sand sifters, nassarius snail and most worms are helpful because help keep the sandbed loose. They don't move around enough to cause damage.

 

[fau8]

when using a deep sand bed you are creating a oxygen depleted zone that allows for the break down of nitrates. When it is disturbed and oxygen to enter that layer the anarobic bateria are destroyed which can then cause your problems. There are no toxins released by stirring up the sand you are actually destroying the natuarl filtering of the nitrates.
with that said its the deep buroughing critters that need to be avoided. You should be fine with your list.

 

[mr_x]

a sand sifting starfish will rob the sand bed of anything living. it lives on whatever is in the sand. it's a mistake putting one of these in your sand bed.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I agree with Mr. X. Sandsifting stars eat all the microfauna in the sand and then die. They aren't the best sand sifters. If you want something that will sift the sand a bit, you should get some nass snails or even a blue spot jawfish.
fau8 is not entirely correct. In some deep sandbeds, if left alone for too long, can create a toxic chemical called hydrosulfate. It's nothing more then broken down waste that is in the sandbed. It looks black and is usually at the bottom 1" of the sand. If this layer is disturbed, then yes, there can be very serious problems. Plus, you would smell something sort of like rotton eggs. Nasty.