Sand Sifting Starfish

[xxxespoxxx]

Just want to know what you people think about adding it to my tank (120 gal).
I heard some good things and bad things about them. My main reason for purchasing one would be just for the so cost of getting some movment and stirring up the sand bed. My clean up crew is slacking a lit bit.
Should I or Shouldn't I?
Any other recommendations?
Anyone have a bad experience with one?

 

[oceana]

they are ok in my book. but with that said look into some of the sifting snails. i know when i feed our tanks the sand looks like its boiling form all the snails coming up form the sand. they are cheap, works GREAT and are fun to watch IMO

 

[xxxespoxxx]

yA, i have a bunch of Nasi, there like a bunch of mini submarines. I have a few torcas and a few astri's. I don't wanna over due it with snails. How many snails would be considered a decent amount for a 120 gallon

 

[oceana]

Originally Posted by xXxEsPoxXx
http:///forum/post/3231354
yA, i have a bunch of Nasi, there like a bunch of mini submarines. I have a few torcas and a few astri's. I don't wanna over due it with snails. How many snails would be considered a decent amount for a 120 gallon
in that 120 you coult easily have 50+ nasarius.
in both of my systems combines i would say there 300+. now mine is 10X the size of yours but the point is you can have quite a few of that type of snail

 

[novahobbies]

I'm in the "no sand-sifting starfish" camp. These guys are predators first and foremost. They consume much of the beneficial microfauna living and working in your sand bed -- amphipods, isopods, whatnot. For many people, these guys will clean out the microfauna in their sand beds, then slowly starve to death....often buried under the sand in such a way that makes it difficult to find and remove the dead star.
Your tank is big enough that you could actually probably support one, HOWEVER..... I don't think it's going to be useful to you in the way you want. Sounds to me like you're looking for something to move up the top portion of your sand bed, yes? The SSS won't really do that -- he'll either be completely under the bed, or crawling around the top. When they're on top of the sand they don't really "stir" it, and when they're submerged they typically go to the very bottom glass (I've seen what that looks like from underneath my aunt's 90g.....freaky!). Either way, I don't think you'll get the sand stirring you're looking for.
I'd recommend a sleeper goby or some other sand sifting fish for your top layer, and the addition of a few more Nass snails for your deeper bed. They tend to move around more than the starfish does, in my experience. How many Nass do you have now? I'd think in a tank that size you could probably do an even dozen. You could also think about a few fighting conchs. I have 4 in my 110. They don't move around a lot during the day, but they're great little vacuum cleaners at night!

 

[xxxespoxxx]

Thats cool thanks for the info. I was goning to add another fish for that reason but if you look in the fish discussion thread I added a post on new addition. See my problem in that thread and then tell me if the goby will still be ok. I have a goby in my 65 and he does wonders to my sandbed. Well maybe then I think i should maybe just sell the star to a friend and grab some more nasi.

 

[oceana]

Originally Posted by xXxEsPoxXx
http:///forum/post/3231376
Thats cool thanks for the info. I was goning to add another fish for that reason but if you look in the fish discussion thread I added a post on new addition. See my problem in that thread and then tell me if the goby will still be ok. I have a goby in my 65 and he does wonders to my sandbed. Well maybe then I think i should maybe just sell the star to a friend and grab some more nasi.
i think thats your best bet.
i LOVE goby's. but what i dont love is them picking up a mouth of sand and dropping it EVERYWHERE. they bury corals, and make a mess IMO. love them but hate them at the same time lol

 

[xxxespoxxx]

ya my white sanded goby does the same thing, he makes me laugh. he purposly does it after im done cleaning the tank, but yo gotta love the personality of those lil guys

 

[btldreef]

I love my sand sifting starfish. I've had both of them for well over a year now, started in my 40G and they're now in the 155G.
The key with these guys is having an established tank w/ a mature 3"+ sand bed depth. Neither of mine ever burrow that deep into the sand and they do clean the top layer of sand just as well, if not better than my Nassarius snails do.
All that being said, there are some better options, especially if you do not have an established systemiamond gobies are excellent sand sifters and very hardy. They tend to be less messy about covering corals with sand than some other gobies (the golden head sleeper is the worst).
Dragon gobies (aka Sleeper Banded Bullet) are also excellent sand sifters, but its 50/50 to whether or not you get one that creates a sand storm in your tank. The smaller ones tend to be messier from my own personal experience.
As for snails, the "rule" is one per gallon. I think that's overkill, but it depends on your stock of fish and flow as well as what/how you feed and how much.
You may want to look into some Cerith snails. They are far more likely to move across the sand bed than Trochus snails. Try to find the black shell variety, they are much hardier than the white shelled ones.
If you plan to keep more than 20 Nassarius snails in your tank, skip the starfish, it will be more likely to starve.

 

[xxxespoxxx]

okay guys thanks for the tips. I off to the LFS i'm stuck between a watchman goby and a six line wrasse (pyjama wrasse).
Any experience with these 2 fish> I hear the 6 line will be aggressive towards any fish I add later on. Is this true or false.
Should I get the goby first and down the road get the wrasse.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by xXxEsPoxXx
http:///forum/post/3231563
okay guys thanks for the tips. I off to the LFS i'm stuck between a watchman goby and a six line wrasse (pyjama wrasse).
Any experience with these 2 fish> I hear the 6 line will be aggressive towards any fish I add later on. Is this true or false.
Should I get the goby first and down the road get the wrasse.
Six Lines should be added as one of the last fish. I'd go with a goby way before a six line. My six line was a nightmare.

 

[novahobbies]

Watchman goby isn't really a sand sifter, you know.
*edit*
I just saw your other thread. Seem like you should be fine adding a few more fish to your 120, and with a 6 foot tank I'd bet that you could keep a watchman and a sand-sifting goby species as well. My favorite are the diamond gobys...in fact, I'm building a canopy for my 110g tank right now so I can keep one without chancing him going tile-surfing on me. Your three tangs shouldn't be a problem, but I agree with your feeling that a sixline might make life hard for any future additions to the tank. I love the look of sixlines, but I'd add one last if I wanted one.

 

[jrandolph1]

My six line was a poor choice for my tank as well. I just thought it looked cool but he was a terror. Think good and hard about getting one of those cause once a six line is in good luck getting it out with out having to break your entire tank down.

 

[xxxespoxxx]

Het guys,
I ended up deciding to get the six line wrasse later and ended up getting a yellow headed sleeper goby and a yellow watchman goby

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by xXxEsPoxXx
http:///forum/post/3233227
Het guys,
I ended up deciding to get the six line wrasse later and ended up getting a yellow headed sleeper goby and a yellow watchman goby

Careful with the Yellow Head Sleeper, they're one of the most frequent gobies to jump out of the tank or get stuck in powerheads if they're not covered properly. I owned a pair that both got sucked into a powerhead. They're also messy with sand sifting. They're fun fish to watch though.