i added one about 1 1/2 weeks ago.....he made his way through the rockwork & found himself a small cave.....aside from coming out he eat, he does not leave that cave...is he just lazy?

while i am asking....i also added a sand sifter about 2 1/2 weeks ago.......this guy only stays in one area, around the cave......does a good job on that area, but does not go beyond 1/4 point of the tank.....should i get another one?

Wendy,

I forget how large your system is, but you really need a LOT of live sand to keep a sand sifting star happy. Also, in a smallish system, less than 100 gallons, they WILL decimate the bed; consuming any life in it.

Serpent stars DO stay in the rockwork for the most part. They are more active during the evening. They SHOULD scramble out when feeding the tank. If yours is truly "Sluggish" or lazy, you may want to check water parameters. They are VERY sensitive to elevated Nitrate levels.

Dave

thanks dave.....i don't think he is listless....he does "scramble" out for food.....i just haven't seen him ever come out, but for food.....maybe he comes out later than i am up?

they WILL decimate the bed

i have the 110g......should be okay, yes?.....so, i shouldn't get another?......this one only stays in that one area of the tank....i was thinking, that is where i feed everyday......could that be why?

also, will he have any effect on my ability to get a draggonette?.....hasn't seemed to bother my pod pop, tha i can tell

they both look healthy & happy to me......and i was wondering if they would be

serpent stars in my experience is way over-rated as a tank scavenger. they seem to first to the food when you feed, and they never seem to do anything else but wait for the next feeding. i see them as the Homer Simpson of janitors.

lol....that seems to be what i am experiencing.....lazy imho:-)

Walrus.. .they are EXCELLENT at getting into the tiny nooks and crannies of live rock and pull out left over foods that fish and other clean up crew can't get at. Again, they typically forage after dark and that may be another reason why you don't witness any beneficial activity from them.

Dreams...remember it is the Sand Sifting Stars that I'm talking about when saying that they will wipe out a sand bed. While serpents do eat some sandbed fauna, they aren't as agressive as the true sifting stars. If you ARE referring to sifting stars, then I say that your 110 couldn't hold more than one without resulting in sterile sands, void of microcrustaceans etc. Do a google search or check wet web media for some more information. They do need a lot of square footage of live sand per specimen.

Sand sifting stars can't possibly catch all of the faster moving pods and mysid in a system. They just aren't fast enough or tricky enough. They do eat other things in the sand though. If you have a fuge or can keep up your pod populations, you should be okay with a mandarin or other dragonette. Especially if he/she begins to eat prepared foods in due time. My twin spot goby took two weeks, but now eats frozen.

Your star may be staying where the food is presented because the scrap foods may be attracting other life that the star likes to eat. In any case, you will see, that is it acclimates to your tank, over time, it will work many areas of the tank, in a cycle.



Dave

you much, dave:-)