armywife1314
Member
not sure if thats the right word for it, but my lfs said that i could cut my sand sifting star and i would then have 2. is this safe? how do you do it? would you?
"fragging" sand sifting star?
- Thread starter armywife1314
- Start date
michaeltx
Moderator
I wouldnt some stars do regenerate very quickly but it can also lead to infections and such from the cutting. also depending on your tank size a sand sifting star isnt a good starfish to have. It does stir the bed but it will wipe out a smaller tanks micrfauna very quickly.
I would like to add that if you are new to the hobby and the LFS knows this and is telling you to frag your star please think about switching store because this one isnt that good of a store.
Mike
I would like to add that if you are new to the hobby and the LFS knows this and is telling you to frag your star please think about switching store because this one isnt that good of a store.
Mike
armywife1314
Member
no they werent telling me to, they just told me "cool" stuff about starfish. i was just curious to know if it was true or not. i wont do it. im chicken
armywife1314
Member
it happens, i need to watch my words more carefully. like i said i was just curious, sw tanks and animals are so awesome, you couldnt do that with fw. LOL
armywife1314
Member
what is the smallest size tank you reccomend having one in?
michaeltx
Moderator
honestly I dont recomend them at all because of their feedings habits.
they feed primarily on micro fauna in the sand bed and we want those critters to help clean the tank. they can devastate a sand bed quickly unles in a very large tank I would say 150+ tank but thats only my guess on tank size.
Mike
they feed primarily on micro fauna in the sand bed and we want those critters to help clean the tank. they can devastate a sand bed quickly unles in a very large tank I would say 150+ tank but thats only my guess on tank size.
Mike
armywife1314
Member
i have a little one about the size of a quarter in my 72, i dont have anything else that really cleans the sand, the snails are but they clean the glass more than anything.
armywife1314
Member
those are the ones only about 3 stay in the sand the others stay on the glass or on the rocks with my hermits.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by armywife1314
http:///forum/post/2625848
i have a little one about the size of a quarter in my 72, i dont have anything else that really cleans the sand, the snails are but they clean the glass more than anything.
The sand sifter is not going to eat the detritus (fish poo) or leftover food. They eat the micro fauna in the sand bed. They can easily strip a sand bed, leaving it plain sand. They die without natural life to feed off of. The 72 will not sustain him for long. You may want to think about bringing him back. Take a look at the reef packages on here to get ideas of other cleaner.
http:///forum/post/2625848
i have a little one about the size of a quarter in my 72, i dont have anything else that really cleans the sand, the snails are but they clean the glass more than anything.
The sand sifter is not going to eat the detritus (fish poo) or leftover food. They eat the micro fauna in the sand bed. They can easily strip a sand bed, leaving it plain sand. They die without natural life to feed off of. The 72 will not sustain him for long. You may want to think about bringing him back. Take a look at the reef packages on here to get ideas of other cleaner.
blue44magnum
New Member
sand sifters stars with the dark or maroon color with eat ur snails after it
eats all ur life in the sand. i just took mine back to the LFS on saturday because i caught him trying to eat a snail for the second time.
do your research .
eats all ur life in the sand. i just took mine back to the LFS on saturday because i caught him trying to eat a snail for the second time.
do your research .
renogaw
Active Member
Originally Posted by armywife1314
http:///forum/post/2625858
those are the ones only about 3 stay in the sand the others stay on the glass or on the rocks with my hermits.
if they were sold as nassarous snails, and they stay on the glass or rocks, then you were most likely sold whelks, not nassarous snails.
you should almost never see your nassarous snails, except at night, or when there is a ton of food in the tank.
http:///forum/post/2625858
those are the ones only about 3 stay in the sand the others stay on the glass or on the rocks with my hermits.
if they were sold as nassarous snails, and they stay on the glass or rocks, then you were most likely sold whelks, not nassarous snails.
you should almost never see your nassarous snails, except at night, or when there is a ton of food in the tank.
armywife1314
Member
they go in the sand but they also go on the glass when i bought them i couldnt even see them in the tank because they were all in the sand, but a few of them just go back and forth across the glass then into the sand and back to the glass.
the starfish looks like the starfish you walk on the beach and find, the ones that wash up on shore, usually the ones ive seen like it are dead on the shore, but like those.
the starfish looks like the starfish you walk on the beach and find, the ones that wash up on shore, usually the ones ive seen like it are dead on the shore, but like those.
armywife1314
Member
ya they do renogaw 
and i was wondering if it would be ok to keep it because in 9 months when my husband gets back from iraq were going to a 120. i have it here i have everything i need. i cant do it myself, im pregnant...way too much weight to lift and move the tank. so would it be safer to keep it in the 120 once he gets back?
and i was wondering if it would be ok to keep it because in 9 months when my husband gets back from iraq were going to a 120. i have it here i have everything i need. i cant do it myself, im pregnant...way too much weight to lift and move the tank. so would it be safer to keep it in the 120 once he gets back?
renogaw
Active Member
the sandsifter star?
nah, i don't think they are keepable in anything tbh, unless you're willing to constantly do influxes of microfauna--pods, bristle stars, etc. you'd have to keep going to your LFS and getting the sludge off the bottom of their LR tanks, which is a constant risk of getting ich...
not worth it IMO unless youre keeping a harlequin shrimp...
nah, i don't think they are keepable in anything tbh, unless you're willing to constantly do influxes of microfauna--pods, bristle stars, etc. you'd have to keep going to your LFS and getting the sludge off the bottom of their LR tanks, which is a constant risk of getting ich...
not worth it IMO unless youre keeping a harlequin shrimp...
armywife1314
Member
got it, i knew it was a bad idea to get a starfish of any kind, i didnt want to risk it. my husband came home with it one day from the lfs and they told my husband about cutting it and it would split and he could have 2. lousy but thanks for the info.