Quote:
Originally posted by reefdog24
if sand sifting sea star eat the critters in the dsb then are there any animals you can recommend.....what about goby.....my sand used to be very white....now its not...
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I would have to disagree with liveaquaria on their statement saying you can supplement them. I would avoid any sand sifting starfish, they slowly starve in our tanks and should be left in the wild. The Astropecten polycanthus from liveaquaria is a voracious predator that a FEW people have reported keeping longer than one year(about the time it takes for them to starve) in tanks typically very large (200gal+ with lots of sandbed).
I commend you for asking questions FIRST, then purchasing. I'll admit that when I first started the hobby, a LFS told me they were great at keeping the sandbed clean. So I got one of the above starfish and it slowly starved to death over a six month period in my 55. I tried feeding shrimp, fish, clams, etc, it took nothing.
You can read here for further info:
I would suggest this article for more reading:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rs/index.php
As for what to recommend, for your size tank I would recommend one fighting conch, around 10 small cerith snails and 2-4 nassarius vibex snails. The first two will actively feed in the sandbed and help keep it clean. The nassarius snails will eat any leftover meaty foods that land on the sandbed. If you find your sand is still "dirty" (and it isn't just a cycle, how old is your tank?) then you can add a few more ceriths.
Brian
EDIT: relying solely on a description from a LFS or a online website for advice on what is good for your tank should be avoided. They have a vested interest in selling things and then having you come back to buy more when it "mysteriously" dies.