Which starfish is not reef safe... (1 Viewer)

[mwilliams62]

Which starfish is not reef safe???

I was told but cannot remember because it was a long time ago that i asked someone at one of the LFS that I go to from time to time..

 

[padanky]

Chocolate Chip Star Fish

 

[tektite]

There are others too, couple that come to mind are the general starfish and larger serpent stars, I think the green ones. I'm sure there are more, just blanking at the moment.

 

[trb]

I've heard anything with bumps is not reef safe.

 

[alexrex20]

The crown of thorns is not reef safe.

 

[mwilliams62]

What about the Red and Blue starfishes?

 

[tektite]

What species? Linkia?

 

[mwilliams62]

I will look them up can't remember.

 

[mwilliams62]

Here is the red one: Red Starfish -Fromia milleporella and the blue one looks identical to the red one. But not sure if it is in the same family I found one: Blue Linckia Sea Star, Linckia laevigata
not sure if they are in the same family though.

 

[rxonco]

They're both reef-safe but don't tend to live long-term in tanks. Best to stay away from them. Pretty much the only stars to go with are the serpants/brittle stars. They're reef-safe, and good scavengers. Stay away from any stars with a "knobby" body like choc. chips.

 

[mwilliams62]

Okay thanks. But I might have to stay away from any of them for now. I just cleaned my tank over the weekend and I have no alae of any kind on the tank walls plus none on the rocks either... So I am guessing they would strave correct? Are would the debris that falls to the ground would that be good enough to sustain them?

 

[turtlesoup2]

people say its a mystery as to what they eat. I personally just added a red fromia star and he is doing fine so far. I want to say if you have had a tank for at least over and year then you should "try" a starfish.

 

[rxonco]

Nobody really knows what the linkia eats. Some say it's a microalgae found on live rock, others say something different. It's rare to get one to live more than 6 months. Brittle stars are cool. Good scavengers, but are pretty nocteral. You'll see a leg hanging out here and there. They typically don't come out during the day.

 

[mwilliams62]

Well my tank has been set up for well over since 2009 but I just recently had moved the rocks out and put them in a brute tub with saltwater and cleaned the back glass and both sides so there is no more green algea on the walls and very little coraline which got removed when I was trying to get that green stuff off. But all rocks are back in now over our wonderful 3day weekend.

 

[rxonco]

To me, linkias are something like octos or seahorses. You go in knowing they're not gonna live long, and enjoy while you can.

 

[mwilliams62]

Kind of like what they told me at the store when I bought my cleaner wrasse that he would only last 3 days at the most and he ended up living for 1 1/2 years and for some strange reason being in the same tank for that time period ended jumping out.

 

[rxonco]

Cleaner wrasses don't typically survive in tanks that long. What's more impressive is a LFS told you you'd get 3 days at most and you still got it.

 

[mwilliams62]

I just took to him and fell in love so I got him... LOL and he was the cutest one in the tank too.. I called him my little speed boat because that was what he looked liked going across the tank from side to side bobbing up and down just like one of those speedboats that you see.

 

[mwilliams62]

Now back on topic kindof ... What about a Sand Shifting Starfish? Since that sand has been in there for a long time and with all that gunk inside it will it kill a sand shifting starfish or would he be okay. Since they say if you stir up sand that has been in the tank for a long period of time and if you stir it up it would crash the system...

 

[rxonco]

Other than the "visible" part of your sand bed, the live fauna living in the sandbed will keep it plenty stirred. All the worms, pods, etc...are part of your CUC and part of your filtration system. Put a Sand sifting star in and it will decimate your live sandbed in a matter of weeks.