"I guess we're hobbyists"

[helen ann]

 

[KJ]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Ok_cowboy1]

I think that you shouldnt think of reefing as keeping a domesticated animal. A fish in a tank is Not a goat in a pen, its not a dog or a cat.
Reef keeping is building and stabling a whole eco system. It all builds off each other. Cant just plug in one piece of the system and ta da it will work. And here we have way over done one tiny section of the eco system.

I think you shouldnt trust your local LFS... that very few are trust worthy to start with most are there to make money...most of the time your talking to minimum wage teen to 20 somethings who dont know jack.(I know I was one a decade or so ago, and I wouldnt have told someone to do that!)

I think that 3 sand sifting starfish in what? 1 inch of sand in a 29 gal tank...no if ands of buts....will died.(and not in the well everything dies like...they will not have enough food Q for one to a few months) Your eco system cant support them and direct feeding doesnt really work for these, so winging it isnt going to help. And it's not pretty they dont just died...they peel off their skin, loosing limbs and start melting...potentially messing the rest of the tank up.

Can they be kept? Kept healthy? Sure! Code/shelly... just described a decent set up for ONE.

Id suggest returning them. I'd suggest laying into the owner of the store about how you were mislead, lied to, way over sold amd they should know better.... but thats just my take and not leaving without at least full price refund/store credit(which I sure would not spend at that time)

I dont care if you consider me an "expert" or not(and I'm really not trying to be a PITA just hit a few of my petpeeves here)..... Google it.... sand sifting starfish care/needs/ good or bad reef tank/ dying/melting

I probably use the same LFS that Old Goat does and although I am just now building my aquarium I will ask the store owner or Matt for help. Both seem very knowledgable. There are the only two people in the store that I will even mess with! I use this forum for advice as well as helping to keep the LFS honest!

 

[Untamedrose]

I probably use the same LFS that Old Goat does and although I am just now building my aquarium I will ask the store owner or Matt for help. Both seem very knowledgable. There are the only two people in the store that I will even mess with! I use this forum for advice as well as helping to keep the LFS honest!

To many LFS are struggling have been since forever ...and well folks who dont know any better are bread and butter. Just tell them yes yes of course that will work...it doesnt, tell them the next thing will... how about this bottle? They sell the tank on CL and ta da new clueless customer. Also be surprised by the massive amount of folks who just want really expensive betta in a jar...they dont wanna know, they dont want to research, its pretty..it goes in my tank!! Be surprised how many customers dont like it when you tell them that isnt a good idea.....will come back a week later complain...only to leave with another bad idea.
Top that off with they can and only pay MW....they get teens, young folks ...who likely honestly are interested in fish keeping BUT are still also teens. Who likely have little to no reef keeping experience for few FW tanks sure but reefs? is rare.

It's not a his LFS, or mine or yours....it's almost an industry standard all over the US. There are a few out there that are an exception... but not a rule.