Sand Dollar

Care Summary

The Sand Dollar is a flattened sea urchin relative that burrows and plows through the sandbed consuming detritus, diatoms, and organic debris, making it one of the most effective natural sandbed maintenance crew members available. It needs a deep, fine sand bed of at least three to four inches to move through properly, and it coexists peacefully with virtually all reef inhabitants that are not dedicated sand-disturbers. The main concern is flow: sand dollars can be tumbled and flipped by strong direct powerhead blasts, and a flipped individual that cannot right itself will die if not corrected, so position powerheads away from the sand surface. No target feeding is needed in a tank with an active, nutrient-rich sandbed, but in very clean systems a light dusting of fine dried food or phytoplankton onto the sand surface will keep it well-nourished.