Red buscuit starfish - reef safe?

[Dave-T]

I just got 5 red bisuit stars that were described as from Africa. Tosia Queenslandensis. They are very pretty, and the vendor told me that they'd eat vermetids, which is why I got them. But now I'm wondering if they're really reef safe. Are they? I have an established 240 gallon mixed reef. Other than my corals, the things I have that I'm worried about them going after are snails, tubeworms, my maxima clam, rock flower anemones, tube anemone, and decorative plating purple sponge.

So will they be safe in my system?

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

I just got 5 red bisuit stars that were described as from Africa. Tosia Queenslandensis. They are very pretty, and the vendor told me that they'd eat vermetids, which is why I got them. But now I'm wondering if they're really reef safe. Are they? I have an established 240 gallon mixed reef. Other than my corals, the things I have that I'm worried about them going after are snails, tubeworms, my maxima clam, rock flower anemones, tube anemone, and decorative plating purple sponge.

So will they be safe in my system?

I think you were very misled by someone...How would those starfish hunt for vermetid worms? Not sure what species you really have without a picture, but as a general rule of thumb, buying 5 starfish is not usually a good idea because of the mortality rate of many species.

 

[VintageReefer]

5….I doubt will survive unless you are target feeding them

@AydenLincoln dont you have one or two of these?

 

[Dave-T]

There are two different kinds. Here is a picture:

 

[smitten with ocean life]

so beautiful! i hope they work out for you!

 

[AydenLincoln]

There are two different kinds. Here is a picture:

The red one is a Goniaster Tessellatus.

 

[AydenLincoln]

5….I doubt will survive unless you are target feeding them

@AydenLincoln dont you have one or two of these?

Yes I do have one and yes 5 is way too many.

 

[AydenLincoln]

There are two different kinds. Here is a picture:

I personally wouldn’t have put them in the tank with all of the inverts like sponges and tube worms. The one on the right is a Tosia Australis whose natural diet does include sponges etc. making him not really reef-safe and a different species than the Goniaster Tessellatus the one on the right which is the species I have and is considered reef-safe with caution. The one on the right has a natural diet of microorganisms and here is info on the other star…but the seller really misled you and sold you two entirely different species of stars. Personally I would give them away and only keep one of the Goniaster Tessellatus. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/sea-stars/biscuit-sea-star/

 

[Dave-T]

Yes I do have one and yes 5 is way too many.

How big is your tank? Mine is 240 gallons, 425 gallon system total. Do you know anything about them eating vermetid snails?

 

[Dave-T]

I personally wouldn’t have put them in the tank with all of the inverts like sponges and tube worms. The one on the right is a Tosia Australis whose natural diet does include sponges etc. making him not really reef-safe and a different species than the Goniaster Tessellatus the one on the right which is the species I have and is considered reef-safe with caution. The one on the right has a natural diet of microorganisms and here is info on the other star…but the seller really misled you and sold you two entirely different species of stars. Personally I would give them away and only keep one of the Goniaster Tessellatus. https://australian.museum/learn/animals/sea-stars/biscuit-sea-star/

Thanks. So you keep saying the one on the right, but I think part of what you're saying refers to the one on the left. Which is the one you have, etc?

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

How big is your tank? Mine is 240 gallons, 425 gallon system total. Do you know anything about them eating vermetid snails?

Im 99% sure they dont eat snails...I would've just Googled it in the shop...

 

[AydenLincoln]

Thanks. So you keep saying the one on the right, but I think part of what you're saying refers to the one on the left. Which is the one you have, etc?

Yes I have the red one on the left and the one on the right is the one that isn’t reef-safe and the one I sent you a link on. Make sure you target feed them and mine is in a 20-gallon tank. I know your tank is big but I still wouldn’t have put that many. As they will probably eventually end up competing for food. And weekly target feeding is good. Things like masstick, foods soaked in plankton, clams, etc.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Im 99% sure they dont eat snails...I would've just Googled it in the shop...

Yeah they don’t plus it’s too hard for them to be able to digest/breakdown since they don’t have teeth.

 

[VintageReefer]

they'd eat vermetids, which is why I got them.

I highly doubt the stars will eat them.

Bubble bee snails eradicated them for me.

 

[Dave-T]

Yes I have the red one on the left and the one on the right is the one that isn’t reef-safe and the one I sent you a link on. Make sure you target feed them and mine is in a 20-gallon tank. I know your tank is big but I still wouldn’t have put that many. As they will probably eventually end up competing for food. And weekly target feeding is good. Things like masstick, foods soaked in plankton, clams, etc.

Alrighty. I appreciate your responses, but I don't really understand your logic about how many my tank can support. My tank is 12 times the volume of yours but can't support 5 times as many stars?

 

[AydenLincoln]

Alrighty. I appreciate your responses, but I don't really understand your logic about how many my tank can support. My tank is 12 times the volume of yours but can't support 5 times as many stars?

It’s because they can quickly over compete for food even in big tanks and then start munching on corals.

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

I'll be the first to say that there's no "recommended volume" for starfish with much, if any justification. If you take that into consideration, your logic isn't flawed and you could just as easily say that 1 star in a 80 gallon tank is insufficient to house them. Nobody has measured with any accuracy, what a suitable tank size is...plus the rock structure and 100 other variables would be at least as important. I was referring to the fact that the majority of starfish tend to have high mortality rates...therefore buying 5 at once seems a little ill-advised.

 

[ontarioreefer]

@Dave-T would love to know how your star fish are getting on. I am now the happy owner of a west African biscuit and hoping it lives peacefully with my bubble tips anemones.

 

[Dave-T]

Sadly, I don't think any of them made it. Most of them died quickly, one of them made it about a month. I am not sure they are all dead, they are in my frag tank and maybe hiding under the egg crate. But I haven't seen Any in a while so I fear the worst.

 

[ontarioreefer]

Thanks for the update. Sorry about the loss. Did you ever try direct feeding them?