sand sifting star

cgr

cgr

Member
I have been advised to get rid of my sand sifting star because it will devour everything in my DSB. Is it possible that one starfish can eat so much? I have a 120 G with 5+" DSB. The star has definetly grown and moves a lot faster since I shifted from CC but is it really doing that much damage? How about my sand sifting goby? What should I do?
120 Gal FOWLR
1 Yellow tang
1 Blue tang
1 Sailfin tang
3 chromis
1 cleaner wrass
1 tomato clown
1 sleeper gobie
1 scooter blenny
1 bicolor blenny
1 coral banded shrimp
1 sandsifter star
emerald crabs, snails, blue and scarlet leg hermits
Wet/Dry filter w bioballs
5+” DSB
Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates undetectable,
PH 8.2, Salinity 1.024
 
cb

cb

Member
I also heard that sandsifting stars and gobies will deplete all the fauna in your sandbed. But alot of the lfs (OF COURSE)tell me that in order to control the diatoms on my sandbed that I need a sandsifting star. But I still am afraid to get one because I do not want to deplete my sandbed.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
A Sand Sifting Star will clean about 16 square feet of sandbed of most infauna in about 6 months.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by dreeves
So Bang Guy...are they recommended for a DSB?
They are about as useful for a DSB as Bleach.
 
cb

cb

Member
Bang Guy do you if any of the gobies(diamond goby) will deplete the sand bed I have been thinking of getting a goby and would like to know which ones will not deplete the dsb.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Generally the sand sifting gobies do the same damage to a sand bed but in a much more localized area.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Several pounds of Live sand from the ocean.
This will provide an assortment of beneficial critters that will eat the detritus and provide the "trickle" of water flow to the lower depths of the bed.
 
cb

cb

Member
Where can you purchase this type of ls I have not been able to find it in any of the lfs here one is still waiting on FL ls but that has been for four months now is any certain one better than the rest?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you look over to the left and click on the "Live Sand" button you'll see that the Premium live sand is straight from the ocean.
 
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