sand sifting star ( to keep or not to keep)

2boyz

2boyz

Member
i put a sand sifting star in my reef to keep the sand stirred up. i now read that they could be harmful to the dsb. should i take it out or is it ok? i would like ,after i have the tank running for a while,to put a manderin goby.i noticed i have alot of pods in the tank now and i don't want to loose them to the star!
 
underthesea

underthesea

Member
I have one in my 150 reef and have not had any problems. He actually does a real good job though. I would keep him if I was you.
 
brooklyn johnny

brooklyn johnny

Active Member
You'll be able to tell if he affects your dsb, and if he does it won't be overnight. Keep an eye on him and you should be fine IMO.
 
dburr

dburr

Active Member
I bought a serpent star aand was told buy my LFS that it was reef safe. My pods would come out day and night, hundreds of them. Now I only see them in the refugium. I told my LFS this and they swear they don't eat pods.
Hmmmmm....
What do you guys think?
Could it be the bangii's eating them?
 
rhonda f.

rhonda f.

New Member
We have gone through about 4 starfish since we started this hobby. We have had our sandsifter for about 4mo and love him. He does not bother anything in our tank. We are thinking about getting another one. He keeps our sand looking good. I wouldn't get rid of him if I were you, and if you do, do you live in the Denver area?!!
 
2boyz

2boyz

Member
THANKS FOR HELPING AND RHONDA F. I WISH I LIVED IN THE DENVER AREA.....I'M SURE ITS MORE SCENIC THAN OHIO !!!!!
 
coachb

coachb

Member
rhonda in denver where have you found a good lfs. I am in north denver and can't say I have found any great stores.
 
fishfreek

fishfreek

Active Member
2boyz, i was exactly in the same situation as you about two months ago with my sandsifting star. I have a 45g reef and after having this great starfish for 5 months, deciced to give him up for the sake of my DSB. I think these stars work very well in a larger tank set up(90g or bigger). The larger sized tanks give a sand bed some leaway because of greater surface area, this way the sand won't be depleated of the entire population of existing pods. The pods will repopulate & will at least get a chance to recover over time.
 
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