ncfalco
Active Member
I've read countless articles discussing how Red Fromia starfish are prone to starving to death in home aquariums. I wanted to share with the community the success I've had feeding these starfish powdered Polyp Lab Reef Roids, as a means of supplementing their diet.
My approach is to first turn off all the pumps in my aquarium. I then take 1 tsp of Reef Roids and mix it with about 2ml of water. This makes a thick paste that I am able to then collect with a turkey baster or pipet. As my starfish is normally on the glass, I then slowly drip (~2 drops per minute) the Reef Roid paste as close as I can to the center of the starfish.
As you drip the paste onto the starfish, the Reef Roids will collect onto its side. The starfish will then extend its stomach and direct the food towards its center, much like how corals direct food towards their mouths. In the attached photo, you will see my Red Fromia starfish ingesting the food. Notice the collection of food at the center of the starfish. The key here is to go very slow in order to give the starfish sufficient time to respond to the food. If this takes you less than ten minutes, you're feeding too fast.
I want to stress that this is not a replacement for adding these starfish to a stable system that has sufficient biofilms for the starfish to graze on naturally throughout the day. I feed my starfish at the same time as my corals, once every 3 days or more depending on my nitrate and phosphate levels. I also add about 80ml of nanochloropsis phytoplanton to my 45 gallon mixed reef tank every morning. This not only helps feed my filter feeders and reduce the nutrient levels in my tank, it also creates a thin film algae on the glass that is beneficial to the starfish.
My approach is to first turn off all the pumps in my aquarium. I then take 1 tsp of Reef Roids and mix it with about 2ml of water. This makes a thick paste that I am able to then collect with a turkey baster or pipet. As my starfish is normally on the glass, I then slowly drip (~2 drops per minute) the Reef Roid paste as close as I can to the center of the starfish.
As you drip the paste onto the starfish, the Reef Roids will collect onto its side. The starfish will then extend its stomach and direct the food towards its center, much like how corals direct food towards their mouths. In the attached photo, you will see my Red Fromia starfish ingesting the food. Notice the collection of food at the center of the starfish. The key here is to go very slow in order to give the starfish sufficient time to respond to the food. If this takes you less than ten minutes, you're feeding too fast.
I want to stress that this is not a replacement for adding these starfish to a stable system that has sufficient biofilms for the starfish to graze on naturally throughout the day. I feed my starfish at the same time as my corals, once every 3 days or more depending on my nitrate and phosphate levels. I also add about 80ml of nanochloropsis phytoplanton to my 45 gallon mixed reef tank every morning. This not only helps feed my filter feeders and reduce the nutrient levels in my tank, it also creates a thin film algae on the glass that is beneficial to the starfish.
