Pod/Sandbed population ?????

[Gatortailale1]

Is it possible to deplete the pod population or will it balance out over time? I ask this because I put a yellow head sleeper goby in my tank a month a go and last night when I looked at my sand star, it didn't look good. The goby filter feeds the upper layer of sand/ argo, the same area the star fed in.

Should I worry? Will it balance out. Anything I can do to bump Pod population up? I dose DT's almost every day.

Thanks for tips!

[ November 02, 2001: Message edited by: Gatortailale ]</p>

 

[danmhippo]

You are right, they do compete for food. & frankly, the sleeper goby is better at it. Pods also populate on your LR, especially where there dense vegetation/gravel piles. Periodically dropping enriched frozen brine cubes onto the sand bed will help both of them. You can also try to locate the sand star and gently tug food near his tentacles to supplement his diet. If your tank is big enough (or if you have a refugium), you shouldn't have to worry about this problem, though.

 

[Gatortailale1]

Thanks for the help.

I have a 125. No refugium. I hadn't considered putting frozen shrimp next to star, but will give it a shot tonight.

 

[sally1]

White sifting sandstars generally starve to death in captivity. They will deplete your sand bed of all it's life and then slowly starve to death....it's sad but true. I have never heard of a sandstar eating prepared foods. I really don't understand why LFS/MO stores sell them with clean up crews. They are better off left in the ocean..

[ November 03, 2001: Message edited by: sally ]</p>