Starfish question..

dougers31 · Feb 3, 2011

So which kind of starfish is easy to keep and safe for a reef tank(other than sandsifting and serpent/brittle)? I like the red fromia(?) or is it linika... Also, looking for one that stays fairly small as in under 4 in.

thanks

I would also like to keep a sand sifting star or two to help keep the sandbed clean, any suggestions on there care....

btkrausen · Feb 3, 2011

I kept a sand sifter in my 40B and had great luck with him. There are other people that will say they eat up the good stuff in the sand, but I never saw anything to suspect a problem with him. He kept my sandbed churned up, and was fun to watch as he climbed the glass.

I've also kept a blue linka, which are stunning in color. The last two I tried didn't make it, so I'm reluctant to try again, as I don't want to kill anymore if they aren't going to do good in my tank.

swannyson7 · Feb 3, 2011

Supposedly the red & orange Linkia are easier to keep than the blues, but they still require an established tank with a good amount of liverock.

aalvarado87 · Feb 3, 2011

i have both in my tank my sandsifter has been there for well over a year my linkia is a hawaiian red spotter wish i would have went with the blue or orange but ive had it for about 6 months and seems to be doing great. good luck with the venture let us know what you decide.

dougers31 · Feb 3, 2011

Yep, not even gonna try a blue linika. I am pretty excited to get a sand sifter though, since I'm tired of having dirty looking sand;)

Captain Nemo · Feb 3, 2011

+1 fromia, no linkia I tried that and mine died since it would not eat. Tried everything and still died. It's dried and in the bathroom now with my seashells.

bct15 · Feb 3, 2011

I have had a blue linkia for about six months and that thing is a trooper. Easy to keep alive, even when my salinity dropped really low it lived right through it. Really cool looking now that it is moving around ob the glass instead of the rockstack. I had two and one did die though, shortly after getting both of them. It didn't seem to good out of the box. I got them both from liveaquaria, and I'm probably gonna add another one with my next order with them.

Brandon

ThaBeast · Feb 4, 2011

I had a fromia that did well but my Copperband bit him and the fromia didn't recover. I've moved the Copperband to another tank and currently have an orange linckia that has been with me since the fall of 2009. Fromias and linckias require a large well established tank though. What size is your tank?

HomeSlizzice · Feb 4, 2011

I would also suggest a Fromia, they stay small (like 4 inches or so) and from what I have heard/read they are some of the hardiest.

dougers31 · Feb 4, 2011

HndMafia said:
I had a fromia that did well but my Copperband bit him and the fromia didn't recover. I've moved the Copperband to another tank and currently have an orange linckia that has been with me since the fall of 2009. Fromias and linckias require a large well established tank though. What size is your tank?

It will be a 40 br.

skinz78 · Feb 5, 2011

I like the Fromia's and recently tried one but it didn't do well so I am reluctant to try another for quite a while.

Anthony Calfo · Feb 12, 2011

Sad truth is most Asteroid sea stars slowly starve to death (if they dont get eaten first) in a year or two at best. The old rul was one star per 100 gall of aquaria if you didnt have any other grazers (snails, tangs, etc). Hence why most starve to death. These are one of those creature categories that are just too pretty for people to pass up. So they still get imported in large numbers. Worse still is thatthey are depsoit feeders mostly and as such often have a critical nutritional need for their principal wild fare (bryozoans, sponges, etc...meaning they dont adapt to aquarium foods even if you could target feed them). They really do best in huge tanks with juicy live rock and light bioloads.

That said, the Ophiuroid family (brittle and serpent stars) are the polar opposite scenario...they are staggeringly easy to keep, tolerant and adaptable to even crowded or smaller tanks. Do consider this group instead. There are some beauties! Harlequins from Florida...reds from the Bahamas, etc.

If you are really into sea stars, if I may say so, my book Reef Invertebrates (2003) has the most extensive coverage of the group for aquarium use to date. The book is out of print now, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a copy used, Amazon, etc.

kindly, Anth-

dougers31 · Feb 15, 2011

Thanks Mr. Calfo! So are sandsifting starfish in the category you mentioned above? I would really like to be able to keep one to help keep the sandbed(1in) clean.