STARFISH: How many of you have a starfish in your reef?

[CanuckReefer]

Sand sifting star that makes an appearance about once a month then disappears again, I never know if the thing is still alive, but I guess that means it's doing its job lol, also a black brittle star.

 

[Wolf89]

Nope, completely safe

They are mollusk eaters. It may be starving. How you ever seen it eat?

 

[MarsWulf5]

Was thinking about adding a red linckia. Anyone have experience with them in a 4 month old tank?

 

[PicassoClown04]

They are mollusk eaters. It may be starving. How you ever seen it eat?

I feed it every day, it’s very healthy I assure you. It’s also in with a blue maxima, which is also healthy and shows no signs of stress

 

[ainarm]

I have one serpent star. Have had him for about 1.5 years now, since very early on with tank purchase. He seems to be doing great. See a leg out from under the rock on occasion at feeding time, he is part of my CUC.

 

[Macbalacano]

Been wanting one for a long time, but haven't figured which one is reef safe, fairly hardy, and stays visible. Does that exist?

 

[Thunderrap]

I have thought about getting a serpent star or sand sifting star but I don't think my 20gal cube is big enough to be able to keep one fed.

 

[Strangewaterchange]

To me the ocean and a reef "setting" just seems incomplete without a starfish. But how many of us are actually housing one in our reef tanks? Let's talk about it today!

1. Do you have a starfish in your reef aquarium and if so what kind?

2. Do you think there is an advantage to having a starfish in your tank?

3. Do you have any problems keeping a starfish happy and thriving in your aquarium?


image via @Paul87

I added a serpent star a few months ago. It's not the prettiest, but certainly fun to watch

Definitely an advantage, probably the most efficient member of my CUC

Very easy to keep alive and healthy, I just spot feed with pe mysis once in a while to make sure it's getting enough food.

 

[bkhunt]

I have 1 and 1/5th of a sand sifting starfish. For some reason the one lost 4 legs. It now has new nubs growing. Only see it every so often at night.

 

[meloles]

I had a red sea star for a short period of time. He started to disintegrate into tiny peices before I figured that my coral banded shrimp may have confused him for a bristle worm. Needless to say, he was my last star. I can keep urchins though, which are a perfect fit for me!

 

[don74136]

My oldest tank inhabitant is my yellow brittle starfish. It came to me from liveaquaria with two legs missing and the other three had various lengths broken off. His central disk was about 3/4” and the legs I wasn’t sure about because they were missing or oartially broken off. I thought he was dead or about to be. After acclimation he laid in one spot for hours. The next morning he was not where I put him so I knew he was still alive. Now his central disk is nearly two inches in diameter and each leg is about 7-8” in length. He‘s in my Red Sea Reefer XL425. I feed him a piece of raw table shrimp a couple of times a week as he couldn’t survive on detritus and such. I have had since 2014. He is not only just living but thriving.

 

[JJKK]

Have a Blue Linkia for about a year, a Brittle Star and a Serpent Star for about 4 years and 100s of Asterina in my Red Sea Reefer 525XL display tank.

 

[ArtsyFish]

Here's mine. I''ve had him for nearly 5 years.

What kind is it. Also looks like you have a mostly bare bottom tank. What is on the bottom. Thank you,

 

[nikodemus]

Been wanting one for a long time, but haven't figured which one is reef safe, fairly hardy, and stays visible. Does that exist?

Huge fan of the brittle star. He's been around since my first month with a reef tank, and he's hardy, compatible with some of my most aggressive fish (lemon damsel and Hawaiian hawkfish), and he "tells" me when he's hungry -- showing a leg or two at feeding time, which this dutiful owner has learned to respond with "here's a shrimp piece just for you..."

 

[Afkomjorgen]

I had a small brittle starfish come in on my liverock! We have a new rock and I think we may have 2 or 3 now!
we also have a bunch of the little white ones that like hanging out on the glass.
It’s cool to see everyone else’s starfish, some are huge.

 

[TheRealDmorty217]

I have a chocolate chip star to scavenge for any uneaten food, and a lot of micro stars

 

[Wayne P.]

I have a brittle starfish. He's doing well, except for the time I knocked rockwork over and chopped off part of his leg. He is always hanging out in the front of the tank looking for food. Consider it part of my clean up crew. Of course his name is Patrick.

 

[ArtisticReef]

If micro brittle stars count then I have about 100 billion. I have a nice large brittle star (not the green fish killer kind) and 3 serpent stars. They are great and easy to keep. I’ve had the red tile stars that lived about 2 years. I think they like a dirtier tank than I keep.

 

[Buckster]

Had a sand sifter until he started losing parts of his limbs. Each day it got worse. Not sure if the wrasse or the crabs were nipping but it did not survive the trauma. Have not replaced it but contemplating.

 

[DanSavesTheDay]

I have had my tiger serpent star for almost 2 years now. He is an excellent clean-up-crew and very easy to supplement food "part of an algae tablet, maybe one or twice a month". He is also one of my most active invertebrates.

I have been considering adding more types of starfish once I do a tank upgrade from a 90g to 180g