New Star fish!

Well I added a sand sifter star to the tank today. I added him to clean up the sand bed. Does anyone have any thoughts for or against them? Here's a pic

Right on, I think they are good to have.

cool. I have a friend who thinks it's a bad idea. But the wife has wanted a star and I need something to clean the sand bed.

i heard that they eat all the nutrients out of the sand and that's a bad thing.

They eat all the bugs out out the sand. If you using your sand bed for nitrate reduction then they can be bad. Also they can eat themselves out of food if the sand bed isnt big enough.

I think i'm hearing more cons than pros in having these things. That sucks.I just wanted something to clean up th algae in the sand.

I've never really been a fan of using animals to clean up the tank, it rarely works well (at least for me). Not to mention most "clean-up" animals get severely underfed because it's assumed they're getting food from scavenging, but they are typically in much higher concentrations in an aquarium than they would be in the wild, so food becomes scarce.

With that being said, I'd feed your sea star on a somewhat regular basis so it's happy and your wife is happy.

Originally Posted by spinycheek

With that being said, I'd feed your sea star on a somewhat regular basis so it's happy and your wife is happy.

... starfish are omnivores, so feeding some finely chopped meat is best....many who keep these fun critters use feeding sticks and place them directly under the starfish so that other fish don't steal the food! .....on a positive side: it is a pretty critter

Originally Posted by barbara

... Starfish are omnivores, so feeding some finely chopped meat is best....many who keep these fun critters use feeding sticks and place them directly under the starfish so that other fish don't steal the food! .....on a positive side: It is a pretty critter :d

word!

chopped meat? What kind?

you can feed them cut up shrimp, mussel and squid......and can get that from the supermarket!

Must it be fresh? or could I use krill?

you could use krill too....best to mix it up a bit though!

okay. I knew I should have waited but, the wife has wanted a star fish so bad for so long and not the thousands of britle stars

Originally Posted by Wright Place

Well I added a sand sifter star to the tank today. I added him to clean up the sand bed. Does anyone have any thoughts for or against them? Here's a pic

They are a nice looking star fish, but I would be worried about the sand bed for sure. I think they need a good sized tank with a thriving population of pods. Additional feeding will be a must to keep it healthy.

Originally Posted by Wright Place

okay. I knew I should have waited but, the wife has wanted a star fish so bad for so long and not the thousands of britle stars

I'd love heaps of bristle stars. Some are really colourfull, and do a good job.

I have a 125 with a crushed coral bed. About 5 years ago I put 3 Sand Stars in the system to keep the bed clean. Two have gone missing, but one still thrives. Probably not enough food for all. I vac the bed every other week and there seems to be enough left for my lone star.

Originally Posted by Barbara

... starfish are omnivores, so feeding some finely chopped meat is best....many who keep these fun critters use feeding sticks and place them directly under the starfish so that other fish don't steal the food! .....on a positive side: it is a pretty critter

Small correction- *some* starfish are omnivores. Many are herbivores, some are coralivores, many are carnivores, some are detrivores, and a very, very few are omnivores. Some stars start out as planktivores in their larval stage and then turn to another food source (or vice-versa).

Gut analysis just hasn't been done for many species.

sand sifting stars will kill a sand bed in no time. They are really not great for your tank, especially if you have a dsb that relies on the creatures that live in there.

Originally Posted by fishchef

I have a 125 with a crushed coral bed. About 5 years ago I put 3 Sand Stars in the system to keep the bed clean. Two have gone missing, but one still thrives. Probably not enough food for all. I vac the bed every other week and there seems to be enough left for my lone star.