Best sea star ?

[Emma_2952]

I have an 81L 20us gallon aquarium and I am wondering what the best type of sea star would be to stock it with I don’t like the serpent ones so is there anything else that is good for my tank ? Bearing in mind I’ve never kept saltwater before

 

[pcon]

Asterina is probably the best. They are small and reproduce in tank. Almost all species of asterina are reef safe. The larger stars that can be kept successfully are not reef safe like chocolate chip stars, or are incredibly difficult requiring large mature reefs, like linckia. The others should generally be avoided by most hobbyists. Sand sifting stars destroy beneficial microfauna populations in the sand bed in all but large tanks. Then the various red stars like sea biscuits starve to death.

 

[Clowning_Around72]

If you have never kept starfish before I would avoid all starfish except for the small asterina stars some of which are pest. Keep corals and fish first before even thinking about keeping starfish.

 

[Emma_2952]

If you have never kept starfish before I would avoid all starfish except for the small asterina stars some of which are pest. Keep corals and fish first before even thinking about keeping starfish.

Ok I will do that thanks for the tip

 

[Emma_2952]

Asterina is probably the best. They are small and reproduce in tank. Almost all species of asterina are reef safe. The larger stars that can be kept successfully are not reef safe like chocolate chip stars, or are incredibly difficult requiring large mature reefs, like linckia. The others should generally be avoided by most hobbyists. Sand sifting stars destroy beneficial microfauna populations in the sand bed in all but large tanks. Then the various red stars like sea biscuits starve to death.

Aren’t those pests ?

 

[SMSREEF]

Aren’t those pests ?

They are small. They eat coralline algae.
Many consider them pests, Some don’t.
When I see them in my tank I remove them. But I am trying to get more coralline to grow.
They are small and blend into the rock. Not something I would add on purpose but you will probably get them anyway on a frag or live rock.

Sand sifting stars destroy beneficial microfauna populations in the sand bed in all but large tanks.

I’m interested in this statement you made, could you expand on this a little? What exactly do they destroy and why do you think this is a bad thing?

I usually run a bare bottom, but added sand because I think it just looks better.

I have a 60 Cube and I love my sand sifting sea star. It and my conch do a good job of keeping sand bed clean.

To OP, these sand stars may not be great for a 20, but I quarantined mine in a 10gal for 2 months and it was fine. I was feeding quite a bit for the hermits and other inverts. They may not be what you are looking for because you will rarely see it. Also they need a good amount of sand in the tank.

 

[Conchman]

My vote is for Micro Brittle Star’s, I know you said you did not like serpents, but these are small...asterinas look like white dots to me, and are always missing limbs...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Asterina for me is a nightmare and have taken down one if my bam bam zoa colonies
Anything i hate more than one of them is two of them !!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I like brittle and linkia stars although linkia can be challenging

 

[ca1ore]

I’m interested in this statement you made, could you expand on this a little? What exactly do they destroy and why do you think this is a bad thing?

Sand sifting stars get their nutrition from small animals and worms in the sand. Since most tanks have either no or limited benthic fauna, the stars just starve. True for the fromia and linkia stars also. Although i am sure there will be folks that claim otherwise, survival beyond a few weeks is unlikely.

 

[BloopFish]

Never recommended to get a large or medium sized starfish unless its a brittlestars in a tank so small. As others have said, either they have specialized diets like linkia and sand sifters where they die from starvation in small tanks, or they are coral eats and not reef safe (choco stars).

Safest bet are micro brittle stars. Some asterinas are said to be OK, but that may be a risk, whereas everyone loves having micro brittle stars. Unfortunately the typical nice looking starfishes you see on Finding Nemo are generally always unsuitable for a small reef tank.

 

[Emma_2952]

Never recommended to get a large or medium sized starfish unless its a brittlestars in a tank so small. As others have said, either they have specialized diets like linkia and sand sifters where they die from starvation in small tanks, or they are coral eats and not reef safe (choco stars).

Safest bet are micro brittle stars. Some asterinas are said to be OK, but that may be a risk, whereas everyone loves having micro brittle stars. Unfortunately the typical nice looking starfishes you see on Finding Nemo are generally always unsuitable for a small reef tank.

I kind of knew I wouldn’t be able to get anything to fancy but I’m not going to lie those brittle sea stars look like something out of a horror film I kind of want one they will also be good as some movement when the lights are off :)

 

[ThRoewer]

Asterina for me is a nightmare and have taken down one if my bam bam zoa colonies
Anything i hate more than one of them is two of them !!

Mine only "damage" the coralline but never touched corals or other inverts.
If you have too many feel free to send them to me - my harlequin shrimp will thank you.
BTW, Asterina are only found in the Atlantic. What is mostly found in our tanks are Aquilonastra from the Indian and Pacific Ocean.

 

[Tired]

Some species of asterina (or whatever people are calling asterinas) eat zoanthids, some won't touch corals unless starving. The pesky ones tend to be a bit larger, darker colored, and splotchy. Either way, they're the only star-shaped starfish suitable for a reef tank.

How do you feel about tuxedo urchins? I know they aren't starfish, but they're echinoderms, which are the same group. They're pretty cool.

 

[Double monti 61]

Brittle better.

 

[ctopherl]

+1 vote for brittle! They are nocturnal so a bit less fun to watch since they hide a lot, and really only eat meaty foods so they don't help with algae. But we think it's cool looking and think of it more like another pet rather than a CUC. I imagine he helps eat leftover food the fish don't eat though? Not sure. It is pretty fun to feed him chunks of shrimp directly-he will grab it with his tentacles and pull into his mouth.

 

[ThRoewer]

+1 vote for brittle! They are nocturnal so a bit less fun to watch since they hide a lot, and really only eat meaty foods so they don't help with algae. But we think it's cool looking and think of it more like another pet rather than a CUC. I imagine he helps eat leftover food the fish don't eat though? Not sure. It is pretty fun to feed him chunks of shrimp directly-he will grab it with his tentacles and pull into his mouth.

I would be careful with brittle stars as some species are able to catch and eat fish. Make sure to get only those that stay on the rather small side and are known to be safe with fish.

 

[Mr_Knightley]

Echinaster spinulosus is a good one, supposedly. They eat detritus and fish pellets well and are not dangerous to corals. I can share a link to where to buy one, they don't get very big either only about 4" maximum. It could be a cool consideration.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I would be careful with brittle stars as some species are able to catch and eat fish. Make sure to get only those that stay on the rather small side and are known to be safe with fish.

Just the green brittles are known fish eaters. I've had my brown one for many years and it's well over a foot long!

 

[ctopherl]

Just the green brittles are known fish eaters. I've had my brown one for many years and it's well over a foot long!

I didn’t realize there were different kinds. Mine is brown as well and so far I have seen no sort of interest in fish or corals.