Sand Sifter Star in Tank....Nuke Him?

[trigger0214]

Hi All,

I recently acquired a Sand Sifting Starfish from my local reef shop. It seemed like a good way to keep my gravel stirred up and the assistant assured me that it was reef safe and would not bother my clams, etc. (the owner of the shop was out) The star had been in her tank, and she had taken it out after she done some reading up on it. Now, knowing she has a 40 gallon reef, I assumed she was worried about it starving to death and I purchased it. :roll:

I have since done some of my own research and have some accross references on this site refering to them as viscous predators.....Do I need to worry. I am not running a DSB in the tank. It is a 125 gallon with 2-3 inches of fine crushed coral (about 100 lbs or so, definetley not sand). I then have 3 inches of argaonite sand in my refugium.

I have 2 clams in the tank, a maxima in the rocks and a crocea in the sand. The star doesn't seem to notcie them....yet. I have heard that these things can leave your sandbed lifeless....However, I still have 100+ pounds of live rock.

I currently have the star isolated in one of those critter traps.......take him back or enjoy?

 

[Anonymous]

I had a sand-sifting star in my tank and removed it after reading an article by Ron Shimek on hermit crabs. It made me think about exactly what animals like hermits and starfish actually eat. Until someone can give me a report on stomach contents on crabs and stars they will definately not be in my tank.
I paid alot of money for live rock and sand and I want to keep it live.

 

[mickadee]

I have a medium size sandsifter in my 50gallon added after I had a cyno problem ( was trying everything) needless to say he help out a lot on the cyno and I havent seen a decrease in pod or worm life in the bed infact I see more now that he is there then I have ever seen before.
Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Mickadee.....do you count your worms and pods? I don't mean to be a smartass but I think they definately eat live little critters.

 

[mickadee]

LOl no but visually there are more in the tank. I beleive that they do eat some of them but most everything does. the good it has done in my tank I will sacrafice that few that might get eaten by them.
Mike

 

[trigger0214]

FYI or form my info. I guess....I took this star back to a different store and it wasn't a sifter at all. But something that gets much bigger and nastier...Good thing I got it out when I did.

 

[mickadee]

yeah if it wasnt a sifter you could had a major problem on your hands good thing you got that one. also as you can see by the post on this thread that sifters have mixed emotions :roll: for a reef some say yeah and other say no. ultimately the decsion is up to you.
Mike

 

[Anonymous]

I am tring to decide between a sandsifter or another Fighting Conch..I think I will go with the Conch. I am lookin for more janitors. My Conch just took out a good patch of green algae on my liverock. I am really happy with the Conch but ithought a sandsifter would be cool. I only have a 29 gallon. What do you guys think?

 

[wombat1]

I don't know if your tank could support another conch :? Sand sifters are great for FO tanks to clean off the bottom, but, IMO, bad for DSBs and reef tank fauna.

 

[ZigZagZombie]

I have a small sand sifter in my 70gal. One small star will not totally kill your sand bed. Sure it does eat the things you want, but not to that degree. Mine has been in for about a year, and sand bed is still full of life. Worms and other sand bed creatures do multiply...

 

[pete]

I had one in a 29 and then a 30. Unfortunately they reduce the pod population too much. From my experience I would'nt put one in a tank smaller than a 75 gallon. As a good of a job that they do keeping the sand clean they will deplete most of the sandbed fauna and starve.

 

[Mogo]

I have 2 sand sifters in my 140. They aren't fast enough to do damage to my sand bed. But I'm wondering why I have a bunch of empty snail shells 8O

 

[Anonymous]

I think I am going to just keep one Conch and no Sandsifting Star in my 29. My Conch really did a nice job of cleaning things up last night. He was fun to watch. I am concerned that if I got another one it would starve.

 

[pete]

I'd stick with 1 conch in that size tank, does he do a good job of keeping the sandbed looking clean? I need something that did as good a job as the star I had but without the damage, considering getting 1 or 2 for a 55FO I have.

 

[Anonymous]

I'd stick with 1 conch in that size tank, does he do a good job of keeping the sandbed looking clean? I need something that did as good a job as the star I had but without the damage, considering getting 1 or 2 for a 55FO I have.

Yep......he is the best worker in my tank. He is workin on the sand now. He often buries himself in the sand and I can just see his head and a small piece of his shell tunnelin through the sand. I may be wrong but I would think they would be benificial to a sand beds critters because they help keep it aerated.