Sand Sifting Seastar

[jesses89]

i got one and its about 4", im acclimating it right now....
my question is... is it true that if i put one of these little guys in my tank.... over time my live sand wont be live anymore?
something i read

 

[bsd230]

I have heard that they eat your good bacteria but I find that hard to believe. They primarily eat detritus and some algae off the sand floor. I have had one for a while and it doesn't bother a thing, my water is excellent and he keeps my sand looking great.

 

[alyssia]

They consume all of the good bacteria in your sand and then starve to death.

 

[rykna]

they will clean your sand bed, but alyssia is right. Left to fend for themselves they will starve to death. I've had mine for over a year, I feed it 3-4 times a week with krill, silver sides, and other meaty treats. I usually put the food pile right next to him and with in a few minutes he climbs on top of the pile and gorges himself. By feeding them it does put more nutrients into your tank, so watch your levels. Good luck with your new star! do you have a pic?
Here's my sand tiger.

You can barely see him he's half sumberged in the sand. He fits in my palm, probably 2.5 inches in diameter. He was much smaller when I got him. :happyfish

 

[ginarox]

i have one, and i hope that it doesnt starve to death...i wish you luck with yours as i do with mine,have a great day.heres mine, i got him back in july...

 

[jesses89]

how do i post a picture?
i put him in the tank and as soon as he hit the sand he started going under.....
Eats the good bacteria? Is that bad? Will that cause a problem for my "cycled" tank?
is there anything i can add to my water that will keep the good bacteria flowing (like adding more to the sand)
Ill take a picture with my camera phone as soon as he comes up.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Rykna
they will clean your sand bed, but alyssia is right. Left to fend for themselves they will starve to death. I've had mine for over a year, I feed it 3-4 times a week with krill, silver sides, and other meaty treats. I usually put the food pile right next to him and with in a few minutes he climbs on top of the pile and gorges himself. By feeding them it does put more nutrients into your tank, so watch your levels. Good luck with your new star! do you have a pic?
Here's my sand tiger.

You can barely see him he's half sumberged in the sand. He fits in my palm, probably 2.5 inches in diameter. He was much smaller when I got him. :happyfish

I actually didn't know that you can spot feed sand sifters.

 

[rykna]

Patrick is a glutton. There are plenty of left overs in the sand bed, but he will spend a day or two just digesting the pile of goodies I put down for him. He's pretty serious about keeping it all for himself too. My peppermint shrimp tried to share a couple of times. Patrick didn't think much of sharing, and complete engulfs the pile. After making sure he has a hold of the goodies he submerses himself in the sand, about half way to keep othe scavengers from snitching. I get some snap shots next time I feed him. When he's done eating it's a wonder the little guy does float right to the top!

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Rykna
Patrick is a glutton. There are plenty of left overs in the sand bed, but he will spend a day or two just digesting the pile of goodies I put down for him. He's pretty serious about keeping it all for himself too. My peppermint shrimp tried to share a couple of times. Patrick didn't think much of sharing, and complete engulfs the pile. After making sure he has a hold of the goodies he submerses himself in the sand, about half way to keep othe scavengers from snitching. I get some snap shots next time I feed him. When he's done eating it's a wonder the little guy does float right to the top!

Patrick? I'm assuming you have kids? :hilarious

 

[rykna]

Yeah...our daughter is 5. everything in my tank gets a name after it makes it past 2 months. First we got "Bob" the orange tree sponge, and I was trying to think of a name for my 2 star fish, a gal on the forum suggested patrick and it stuck, giggle

be right back about posting pics

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Jesses89
how do i post a picture?
Ill take a picture with my camera phone as soon as he comes up.
It took me awhile to figure this out too. Okay , when you go to reply to a thread first there is the area where you type you new thread....then you scroll down to where there is a bar that says manage attachments....click on that. then your computer will ask you to browse for pictures....the pictures you post have to 500x500 pixels or less. You can do this by using the resize tool bar depending on what type of art programs you have. I use paintshop pro.
Once you have your tank pictures resized, I save mine as .jpg, then when when you browse you select the resized pic and upload. you can upload up to 5 pictures per thread. when you're done uploading pics. click close and submit your thread.
If you want to post a picture for your avitar it has to be 100x100 pixels or less. Let me know if this works, or if you need more help.

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by Jesses89
i got one and its about 4", im acclimating it right now....
my question is... is it true that if i put one of these little guys in my tank.... over time my live sand wont be live anymore?
something i read
According to your info, you have a 55 gallon tank.
I think you are rightfully concerned about it starving in your tank.
Denise M.

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by Merredeth
According to your info, you have a 55 gallon tank.
I think you are rightfully concerned about it starving in your tank.
Denise M.

I had 1 in my 55 for a year, then transferred everything over to my 125. I see him for about 5 minutes every 4-5 days Ha!

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by hot883
I had 1 in my 55 for a year, then transferred everything over to my 125. I see him for about 5 minutes every 4-5 days Ha!
I'm glad for ya. Transferring him was a good move. Most people end up having to sup feed them if they go into a 55 from what I have read.
Denise M.

 

[doody00]

Wow, one more thing I've done wrong. I have a 15g tank and have a sand sifting star. He does an excellent job of sifting the sand but I didn't know he'll starve if I don't feed him. Thanks for the information. I'm off to get some snacks for my little buddy.

judy

 

[jesses89]

Originally Posted by Merredeth
I'm glad for ya. Transferring him was a good move. Most people end up having to sup feed them if they go into a 55 from what I have read.
Denise M.

Can you explaing what sup feeding is?
TYIA

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Jesses89
Can you explaing what sup feeding is?
TYIA

supplemental feeding-feed him pieces of meaty foods

 

[ginarox]

if you spot feed it,,how do you keep your other fish from getting it,,,my sailfin acts like he is starving all the time,,thanks have a great day..

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by ginarox
if you spot feed it,,how do you keep your other fish from getting it,,,my sailfin acts like he is starving all the time,,thanks have a great day..
Patrick is a glutton. There are plenty of left overs in the sand bed, but he will spend a day or two just digesting the pile of goodies I put down for him. He's pretty serious about keeping it all for himself too. My peppermint shrimp tried to share a couple of times. Patrick didn't think much of sharing, and complete engulfs the pile. After making sure he has a hold of the goodies he submerses himself in the sand, about half way to keep othe scavengers from snitching. I get some snap shots next time I feed him. When he's done eating it's a wonder the little guy does float right to the top!

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by ginarox
if you spot feed it,,how do you keep your other fish from getting it,,,my sailfin acts like he is starving all the time,,thanks have a great day..

Pick the star up and put him on top of the food.