Sand Sifting Starfish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific. It is found in shallow sandy areas, lagoons, and intertidal flats where it can easily bury itself.

Taxonomy: Member of the Archasteridae family. It features a flat body with five tapering arms lined with small lateral spines. Grows up to 12.0 cm.

Social Behavior: Peaceful and solitary. It spends almost all its time buried in the sand bed, moving slowly and shifting the substrate to find food.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Camouflaged colors ranging from light gray to tan or brown mottled patterns. Genders cannot be visually distinguished.

Tank Setup: Requires an established reef tank with a deep sand bed (at least 5-8 cm) of fine, live sand. Coarse gravel is unsuitable.

Diet and Feeding: Detritivore. Sifts through the sand for detritus, organic waste, and micro-fauna. May starve in small or newly established aquariums without enough organic matter.

Water Quality: Highly sensitive to rapid changes in salinity and temperature. Maintain stable pH 8.1-8.4, and density SG 1.023-1.025. Slow drip acclimation is mandatory.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Peaceful and reef-safe. Do not keep with predatory animals such as Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera) or large puffers.

Aquarium Breeding: Extremely rare in home aquaria due to their complex planktonic larval stage.

Risks and Diseases: High risk of tissue necrosis if exposed to air or osmotic shock. Copper-based medications are lethal.