Description
The Authentic Reef-Safe Sand Cleaner
Achieve a flawlessly clean and healthy sandbed with the one true Reef Safe Sand Sifting Starfish, Archaster typicus. This dedicated detritivore is nature's perfect solution for maintaining a pristine substrate. It spends its days gracefully gliding beneath the surface of the sand, consuming leftover food, fish waste, and other organic detritus before it can break down and affect your water quality. This constant burrowing action also aerates the sand, preventing compaction and the buildup of toxic pockets.
Unlike other predatory sand-dwelling stars that can be a menace in a reef tank, the Archaster starfish is the genuine, time-tested, and completely reef-safe species you can trust. With its flattened body and mottled pattern that provides perfect camouflage, this peaceful star is a functional and fascinating addition to any aquarium with a proper sandbed.
Why Archaster is the Superior Sand Sifter:
- Keeps Sandbeds Clean: Relentlessly consumes detritus and uneaten food, helping to keep your sand bright and free of waste.
- Excellent Sand Aerator: Its natural burrowing behavior prevents sand compaction and promotes a healthy substrate environment.
- Truly Reef-Safe: This specific species (Archaster typicus) is guaranteed not to harm corals, clams, anemones, or healthy fish.
- Fascinating Behavior: It's incredible to watch this star bury itself, move through the sand, and become more active at feeding time.
Care & Specifications
The Sand Sifting Starfish is hardy and self-sufficient, but its survival is 100% dependent on the proper size and maturity of your sandbed.
The Sandbed is its Life Support: A Critical Requirement
- A large, deep, and mature sandbed is not just a recommendation—it is the single most important factor for this animal's survival.
- Substrate Depth: Requires a minimum of 2-3 inches of fine to medium-grain sand.
- Tank Size: We recommend at least a 30-gallon aquarium with a large sand surface area. It will quickly starve in nano tanks or tanks with insufficient substrate.
- Maturity: Your aquarium should be well-established (at least 6 months old) to ensure a sufficient supply of detritus and microorganisms for it to eat.
Feeding:
- Diet: Detritivore. It feeds on the organic waste, leftover food, and biofilm found within the sandbed.
- Primary Foods: In a properly sized and mature tank, it should be able to find enough food on its own to thrive.
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Supplemental Feeding: In very clean systems or if the star appears to be losing mass, you may need to supplement its diet. Target feed by placing sinking carnivore pellets or a small piece of meaty food (like mysis shrimp) on the sand in front of it when it is active.
Water Parameters:
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Temperature: 72−78°F (22−25.5°C)
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Specific Gravity: $1.023 - $1.025
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pH: 8.1−8.4
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Water Quality: Intolerant of high nitrates and copper.
Compatibility:
- Temperament: Extremely peaceful.
- Reef Safety: This is the true reef-safe Archaster species. It is safe with all corals and sessile invertebrates.
- Tank Mates: Safe with virtually all reef-safe fish and invertebrates. Avoid housing with large Triggerfish, Pufferfish, or Harlequin Shrimp, which prey on starfish.
- A Note on Infauna: As part of its cleaning process, this starfish will consume some of the beneficial microscopic life (infauna) in your sandbed, such as copepods and worms.
Acclimation: IMPORTANT: Like all echinoderms, this starfish is extremely sensitive to changes in water chemistry, especially salinity and pH. A very slow drip acclimation over a period of at least 90 minutes is absolutely mandatory for their survival.
