Sand Sifting Star Tank Size

[texasbornnbred]

Have a 20 gal. ELOS mini tank. LFS told me a sand sifting starfish would be okay in my tank. Someone in another forum told me that sand sifting stars in small tanks would be a death sentence. Please tell me that is not true.

[Falconeer]

I can only confirm what i've heard/been told - but I too was under the impression that any sand sifting animal was not well off in tanks under ~40G.

[rale2001]

you just have to have enough gunk in your sand bed for him to eat for him to survive

[Tuscaquatics]

20 gallons is far too small. It would indeed be a death sentence for him. They need more like 55 gallons in order to have the room they need to graze.

[binford4000]

I would have to agree that a twenty gallon would have a difficult time suplying the needed nutrients for a sand sifter.It's best to wait tell your tank is well established befor introducing a sand sifter star fish to your bio bed and the bed has to have the ability to replenish itself.IMO

[jumpingintosalt]

I heard 100g or more and a tank that had been established for at least a year just like having enough food for a dragonette.

[reefWW96]

when i went to get one, i have a 75g and they said its still a risk

[tspors]

I would not do it. My believe, is at least 100g and about 75% of ground surface to bury it self in the sand. I one is a 150g. Been good for over 2 years. It's not just the size of the tank but the available surface area. You could have a 150g but no ground surface for it. BUt a 20 is way to small even if there is no rock covering ground space.

[Meggie2409]

I have heard that sand sifting stars in smaller tanks, is not only bad for the star but your tank, bc they will quickly eat through not only the bad but the good in your live sand bed. eekk I would go with a smaller sand sifting goby, I have a sleeper in my 55 and LOVE him! he is even attacking the red slime I am getting rid of ( was using tap switched over to ro) so awesome!

[Sk8r]

Don't believe any advice from a fish store that would tell you that. It would be a very sad situation, and if they've already sold you one, take it back and demand your money back.

The safest thing for you to put in a 20g to keep the sandbed is a very small single white nassarius snail. It travels subsand and munches detritus, without stirring your sandbed enough to crash your tank.

[borcu]

agree these stars are not for aquariums. go for nassarius.

[will hollenbeck]

When i first bought my sand sifter i was a buy nervous cause i have a 29 gallon tank and was told it would not make it.....but here we are a year later and she is still fine and getting bigger even I'm no expert but i would assume if the tank had cycled properly and there is plenty of good for it to eat they will do ok like mine

[postshawn]

I had (have?) one in my 29g. It was doing a good job at sifting the sand. It was in there for a quite a while, 10 months I think. Sand always looked like it had some stuff in there but not too much. Then about 3 weeks ago it lost on arm somehow. Then a few days later it wasn't moving much. Then the next day it was gone. I haven't seen it since and my sand has gotten a lot more dirtier with stuff in it. So I think it basically didn't have enough to eat. It ate everything it could and then wasn't healthy enough to heal and continue growing so it just went somewhere and died. I am in the process of setting up a 70g so I'll see if I find it then when I move everything. But if I don't find it I don't think I will be planning on adding another one. My LFS guy was telling me for all stars they are nice to look at but never really live that long unless you have a large tank with the right bio load/food source.

Basically I think my 29g wasn't even enough so I wouldn't try a 20g. Up to you though.

[mclevenger10]

I have a 55 gallon tank and have had a brittle star in there for 4 years.

[lokii_37]

I have a 55 gallon tank and have had a brittle star in there for 4 years.

Brittle stars have a much different diet then sand sifting stars. My brittle star catches food out of the water column.