What is up with the Sand Sifting Starfish?!

[kari maureen]

That would be my sand sifting starfish, ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE... Haha hes fallen off many of times, and just floats back down, and then crawls back to the glass and starts shimming up the tank. Honestly, is a SAND SIFTING STARFISH suppose to be shimming up glass?! Hahah Is my tank that bad to live in he has a suicide attempt to get out?! I've done my research on these little guys before I bought him... and from what the lfs told me about them, I'd never see him except MAYBE moving around a bit at the bottom... It's a 20 gallon tall tank.... Does he hate it in there? The lfs didn't have him in much bigger of a tank and he was cuddled up under the sand... Maybe i'm just being a concerned fish owner and I just don't want him to find the empty space at the back of the tank and commit suicide to the kitties

So I guess what i'm trying to say is... Is this normal!?

 

[kari maureen]

Now he keeps falling off upside down and my condi anemone keeps grabbing onto him, I had to do a rescue dive to save him once!! What is wrong with this goofy starfish!?

 

[dischirm]

You realize that this starfish is going to starve in your tank, don't you. Sand shifters eat the life out of your sandbed and then they starve. You should return it to the LFS. Please research creatures before you buy them. I not trying to sound mean, but your profile says you do not have a tank larger than 20 gallons and you need at least a 100 gallon tank that has been established a year or more with lots and lots of live rock (100+ pounds) to support these fish for any amount of time. Even at that size, you eventually run out of food for them.

 

[bigarn]

I agree with dischirm .... a sandsifting star will deplete your sandbed of all beneficial critters in no time and more often then not starve to death down the road. I also suggest bringing it back to the LFS.
I'm not flaming you I made the same mistake once.

Remember-SandSIFTERS bad SandSHIFTERS good ...

 

[ophiura]

In the wild, this could be equivalent of trying to "get to a new area" because, as mentioned above, they tend to starve. Unfortunately for it, there is no where to go.
Very few can be spot fed, and most in that tank size are doomed.
Actually, these are unlike Linckia which need lots of LR. They, conversely, need lots of open sand area...so much less LR but very large open expanses of sand.

 

[kari maureen]

:'( Im sorry... Hes going back today...

I didn't mean to be a fish killer..but he'll be okay since he's going back to the store

I'm sorry guys, Thank you for the info though..

 

[tang4me]

No need to apologize. We have all made mistakes. Your not a fish killer either! You did the right thing by taking the starfish back. Just part of living and learning in this hobby.

 

[autofreak44]

how would you go about spot feeding one of these starfish?

 

[ophiura]

In general, they do not take to spot feeding. I would try putting anything -especially meaty things, right near it...but odds are it will not respond (which is why most do not survive long term).