How efficent are sand sifting stars?

[daniel16]

125g mixed reef.

I have 15lb of crushed coral and 15lb of sand combined. It's starting to get a little dirtier than I'd like (never cleaned, tank setup a year).

I have TONS of those tube works that put out a stringy web living in it.

I want them gone and something to keep it stirred better.

Is a sand sifting star my answer? I need something that'll eat the tube worms and stir it up better than my 3 little tiger conchs do.

I don't like sand sifting fish. They've always made a mess in my past experience...

 

[daniel16]

Or should I just syphon it all out and start fresh?

I'd really hate to lose all my cool purple crushed coral...

 

[Small triggers]

How deep is your sand bed? Because with only 30lbs, and you are probably off on this...it would only be an inch or less thick...and a sand sifter of any sort would not do well with the crushed coral...
If its thicker and less course...more sandy then. Yes a star can help...basically they eat the micro fauna out of the sand and stir it as they go....

 

[JMSKI333]

Sand sifting fish make a mess at first, but then once they get ahead of the neglect everything settles down.

With only 30lbs of sand in a 125, you must have a very shallow sand bed. In order for a sand sifter to thrive, you will need a DSB of 4"+

 

[daniel16]

Yeah it's super shallow, just enough to cover the glass of the 125.

 

[daniel16]

How deep is your sand bed? Because with only 30lbs, and you are probably off on this...it would only be an inch or less thick...and a sand sifter of any sort would not do well with the crushed coral...
If its thicker and less course...more sandy then. Yes a star can help...basically they eat the micro fauna out of the sand and stir it as they go....

I bought it in little 5lb bags. I'm sure about the amount I have.

 

[daniel16]

From your responses, it sounds like my best course of action is just remove it all.

 

[JMSKI333]

Yeah it's super shallow, just enough to cover the glass of the 125.

I would remove it then. But do it in small amounts. Maybe like 10% at a time.

 

[kacrocorals581]

I would recommend a fighting conch

 

[daniel16]

I would recommend a fighting conch

I have 3 tiger conchs already, they keep the algae off the crushed coral fine but they don't "stir" it enough. Nor eat the stupid string tube works.

 

[Palting]

For that shallow a bed, the best sand stirrer is........YOU :bigsmile: I used to stir my SSB with a stick once or twice a week.

 

[Mike J.]

To address the original question, (How efficient are sand sifting stars?) Very efficient; they will quickly eat everything in your sand bed (good and bad) and then starve to death. IMO it is an animal that is best left in the ocean. You certainly wouldn't want one in a DSB eating all the microorganisms that you need for the health of the sand bed.

 

[TonyTank]

@Mike J. do you feel the same about narsarius snails?
I have about a 3 inch sand bed and am going through big learning process. Seems everyone has an opinion and there are not as many definitives as I thought in this hobby. (But I am asking for your opinion!)
I have a thread going that explains my issues and the process I'm working through to resolve it.
Right now, I'm debating removing the sand bed (or reducing), and I'm researching. I'm wondering if adding snails, stars would help stir it up (preventing gas pockets) and to aid in removal of detritus? Hermits as well?
Then I read that stars eat the "good" stuff.