dead under the sand???

[Melina]

Hey, just out of curiosity, have any of you ever had a sea star (or other invert) die while under the sand? How did you find out it was dead and how did you find IT? Just wondering... because I hear a lot of these critters can disappear under the sand bed for long periods of time... but if they die under there, I imagine it would wreak havoc on the water quality... and then I'd worry about how to find the dead critter! Any experience with this anyone?