Sand sifting starfish

ive read in a pocket guide that sand sifters will eat alot of the essentials in the sand bed until it starves itself to death...thats from Dr. Shiamek...i know many LFS sell them, but at the same time, your tank could keep producing enough food to support the star. Ive personally never had success will star fish in the long run (over a year), but nothings universal in this hobby...i just wanted to give my 2 cents

 

I have 2 in a 55 gallon...3.5 inches of crushed coral....they are all over the place,very seldom do they stay around one another.. and they still find time, once in awhile, in the evening to come out and play on the glass...climb up..fall down...climb up...fall down....ritualistic..LOL But, in answer to the question, I find them benificial as well as cool to watch....I've had one for 14 months and the other for about 9 months.
2 cents.
LG

 

My diamond goby took a few weeks to cover the whole tank--(150 gal) but now he "tears up" all the sand---make sure your rocks are all the way to the bottom glass or he will cause a avalanche

 

if you haven't tried yet...you could throw in a couple of fighting conches. (they don't really fight)...they've cleaned up my sand bed quite nicely!!

 

I've had my sand star for about 2 months. It keeps the sand turned over nicely and it hasn't starved itself out yet. I think a 220 is fully capable of feeding one sand star.

 

i have hed my star fish for about three months now and hes doin good,I have also been sticking pieces of freeze dried mysis shrimp in the sand, and within a few hours he moves him self rite over the spot where i put it.they are a omnivore so they will eat anything they can find.he made a big improvement on my sand bed and cool to watch.Good Luck,JOE

 

I have one (medium sized) in my 90g. I have had it for about seven months now. I hardly ever see it, but every once in a while it works the glass. I hear from time to time that it is because the food source has run out. But it has done this off and on every since I got it, so I do not worry. I would stick to one or maybe two in your 220. I can see one per 48"x18"x1" of sandbed give or take.

 

a yellow head sleeper goby,is awesome,had a 75 gallon about 4 yrs ago,and had real bad agae on the sand got him,he done an awesome job on the sand,they are about 20 dollars i think,good luck,with your tank.

 

I had a sandsifter star in my 75g....after a couple months I noticed he was out of the sand more and more on the glass. Then one day I came home from work and he was arched on the sand on all its stars with his center up in he air....

I found out he was starving and was "fishing" hoping that a fish would swim under him to eat. I needless to say took him back to the store.

I need something to stir up my sand better in my 135g however I ahve read that they just dont do well in our tanks and will often times starve to death. Plus they pull out a lot of the beneficial gunk in the sand...so I have got a bunch of different snails and it helps

 

i have a black cucumber it shredds the sand and ****s lil pelletts of perfectly clean sand
its odd at first to wake up too pellets but they disolve in about 8 hours but he works day and night.,..