Goniaster Tessellatus clam safe?

[ReeferHD]

hey guys!

I have the opportunity to get a West African Biscuit Seastar (Goniaster Tessellatus)
and though I've done a lot of reading on them I haven't confirmed they are safe with Tridacna clams..
I'm putting it in my mixed reef with SPS, LPS, Softies and of course Tridacna clams,
I just want to make sure the star won't eat them.
@AydenLincoln @ISpeakForTheSeas

thanks

 

[Uncle99]

Many stars may eat clams.
Me, I would not risk my clams.
Most stars with exception to brittle and serpents, don’t last long in captivity and exhaust food sources quickly.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I'm honestly not sure here. It would be good info to have for future owners, but it would be a risk for the clam:

MadCity Corals kept one for about two years by letting it eat algae in the tank and supplementing with algae wafers before it apparently started eating their encrusting corals (I’m not sure if this applies with this species/situation or not, but many carnivorous starfish species actually start off herbivorous and only turn carnivorous as adults - the Crown Of Thorns Seastar is an excellent example of this). They discussed their experience keeping it here on Reef2Reef, and they put it up for sale on their Facebook page when it started eating corals last year (you can still find the post). They may have gotten the star young enough that it hadn’t transitioned fully to “adult” foods when they first got it (I’m not sure when this species matures, but this strikes me as possible yet unlikely), or it - like many fish in the hobby - may have just developed a taste for them randomly. Either way, algae is a much easier thing to feed than sponges, but it might still be a good idea to offer a sponge, tunicate, or bryozoan or two just to see if it takes it.

I’m curious to see how this goes for you - good luck, and keep us updated!

Cliff here aka MadCity Corals. I did keep one for probably close to 5 years or longer. Attractive species easy to keep in my opinion. I try to keep my tank around 75-76 not for ther starfish health but corals health. Lower temp less bacterial infections. However my tank would hover around 80-81 during the summer months and I didn't have any problems with the African Biscuit star in warmer temps. Years later it got a taste for incrusting cyphastrea corals, nothing else.

 

[ReeferHD]

I'm honestly not sure here. It would be good info to have for future owners, but it would be a risk for the clam:

Yeah I saw those posts, I’m ok with the potential of it munching on corals but whether it eats clams or not is a selling point for me, if it does eat clams I might end up putting it in my nano tank atleast for the time being since they’re so hard to come by.

 

[AydenLincoln]

hey guys!

I have the opportunity to get a West African Biscuit Seastar (Goniaster Tessellatus)
and though I've done a lot of reading on them I haven't confirmed they are safe with Tridacna clams..
I'm putting it in my mixed reef with SPS, LPS, Softies and of course Tridacna clams,
I just want to make sure the star won't eat them.
@AydenLincoln @ISpeakForTheSeas

thanks

First are you getting him from Oasis Aquatics I saw you were from NJ and they have them right now so does NYAquatic? They are a predatory star but considering their small size I believe a clam would probably be safe and they are labeled as reef safe with caution…but I personally probably wouldn’t add one together. Mine never bothered any corals unless they were dead. They do best drip acclimated and eat microorganisms in the substrate naturally so definitely target feed them. I fed mine algae, shrimp, clams on the half shell, etc. and like to soak it in plankton before feeding him.

 

[ReeferHD]

First are you getting him from Oasis Aquatics I saw you were from NJ and they have them right now so does NYAquatic? They are a predatory star but considering their small size I believe a clam would probably be safe and they are labeled as reef safe with caution…but I personally probably wouldn’t add one together. Mine never bothered any corals unless they were dead. They do best drip acclimated and eat microorganisms in the substrate naturally so definitely target feed them. I fed mine algae, shrimp, clams on the half shell, etc. and like to soak it in plankton before feeding him.

I'm getting mine from NYAquatic, I called and they have a few in stock.
If you are unsure about it's clam compatibility I think I'll just add him to my nano tank instead, I think it would benefit from the real ocean liverock I have in there, too.

 

[ReeferHD]

look what arrived today
Have him in a breeder box in my 40 gallon along with a hitchhiker clam, if he doesn’t consume it within the next week I’ll put him in the main display

He lost a few spines during shipment by the looks of it but I was somehwat expecting that.
he’s very active and currently cruising around in the breeder box!

 

[AydenLincoln]

look what arrived today
Have him in a breeder box in my 40 gallon along with a hitchhiker clam, if he doesn’t consume it within the next week I’ll put him in the main display

He lost a few spines during shipment by the looks of it but I was somehwat expecting that.
he’s very active and currently cruising around in the breeder box!

Oh no that’s not good. The middle of him doesn’t looks good. It looks like decaying flesh? How is he now? I hope mine arrives in better shape.

 

[ReeferHD]

Oh no that’s not good. The middle of him doesn’t looks good. It looks like decaying flesh? How is he now? I hope mine arrives in better shape.

He’s doing great! Not exactly sure what the brown thing on him was but I just left it alone and after a day or two it disappeared, I think it was just a piece of debris stuck to him. Here’s a picture I took just now, check out my instagram for more frequent updates!

 

[AydenLincoln]

He’s doing great! Not exactly sure what the brown thing on him was but I just left it alone and after a day or two it disappeared, I think it was just a piece of debris stuck to him. Here’s a picture I took just now, check out my instagram for more frequent updates!

That’s great! Make sure you feed him. They eat microorganisms in the sand naturally so think phytoplankton and zooplankton. You do have to target feed them. They also enjoy clams and Masstick is my go to. The average lifespan is around 3-5 years and beyond that not much is known about them. And I just followed you!