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Dedicated Starfish Tank

post #1 of 14
7/9/08 at 3:16pm
Thread Starter 
Has anyone set up a Tank dedicated to starfish?
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post #2 of 14
7/9/08 at 11:23pm
Interesting thought. I have not. What is your plan as many sea stars have unique nutritional needs that are still not completely understood? (BTW..I know you know this ,as you have lots of experience in the swf world, just asking.)
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post #3 of 14
7/9/08 at 11:26pm
rykna, nice seein ya! i havent heard much from you lately, were you just hiding out in the seahorse forum? anyways hi.
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post #4 of 14
7/10/08 at 12:14am
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by Al Mc View Post
Interesting thought. I have not. What is your plan as many sea stars have unique nutritional needs that are still not completely understood? (BTW..I know you know this ,as you have lots of experience in the swf world, just asking.)
awwwwwwe thank you

The idea came to me right after I purchased a green brittle star(GBS)...yes the famous "green death". I've always wanted a tank dedicated to this beautiful star. I purchased the GBS to help cycle my 55 sump tank.( I'm doing a reverse set up for my new dwarf seahorse tank, since the DT is sterile, I'm growing the pod population in the sump). Now that "Vader"(Changed names, idea from Al Mc) has settled in. It occurred to me that no one had ever posted a "Star tank."
The only stars that I know of that have not be successfully kept in captivity are basket and feather stars. These stars are filter feeders, and until we can duplicate the soup they like to eat, the end result for them is starvation.
Most stars are opportunists. My guess is they wouldn't hesitate to munch on their neighbor if push came to shove. The stars need daily feeding. I've been very successful keeping brittle and sand stars. My sand star"Patric" loved shrimp pellets.
Here's a pic of Patric:


I was thinking of trying a couple of brittle stars together. maybe 3 or 4. Not sure, I'll have to think about it.
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post #5 of 14
7/10/08 at 12:25am
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by alix2.0 View Post
rykna, nice seein ya! i havent heard much from you lately, were you just hiding out in the seahorse forum? anyways hi.
Good to hear from you too
Well, hiding from is more like it. I lost all 41 of my beautiful dwarf seahorses(ponies). I was crushed. Some how I had managed to
up the salinity, a complete tank crash. It took me two months before I could go back online here without crying.
So now I'm trying a new set up.

This is the new tank's main post:
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=317439

this one is about the sump that goes with it:
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=326624
which lead to my question about a star tank.
So when can I talk you into a seahorse tank
Any thoughts on tank mates for the green death would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rykna
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post #6 of 14
7/10/08 at 12:45am
Currently I have three green 'death stars' (feels like we are talking about star wars). One in three different tanks and they have not bothered any fish. In two of the tanks I have orange Linkias that have cohabitated with them for over a year and a 'red' brittle in the other. I have had little luck with sand sifters. All (2) have died within 6-8 months.

I do think the concept of a 'star only' tank is interesting. Have you asked Ophuira about it?
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post #7 of 14
7/10/08 at 10:13am
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by Al Mc View Post
Currently I have three green 'death stars' (feels like we are talking about star wars). One in three different tanks and they have not bothered any fish. In two of the tanks I have orange Linkias that have cohabitated with them for over a year and a 'red' brittle in the other. I have had little luck with sand sifters. All (2) have died within 6-8 months.

I do think the concept of a 'star only' tank is interesting. Have you asked Ophuira about it?
"Death Stars" that's awesome!!! I'm changing my green death's name to "Vader"!!!!

Asking Ophuira is a great idea, I'll see what she says.
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post #8 of 14
7/10/08 at 6:57pm
IMO, the prettiest stars either need a VERY established tank that is pretty large to survive. OR there are some that you feed(saw one in the LFS today actually) but they kill all the inverts.

IT sounds pretty cool, but stars are too slow for me, and mine hide all day long
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post #9 of 14
7/12/08 at 1:07am
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by alexmir View Post
IMO, the prettiest stars either need a VERY established tank that is pretty large to survive. OR there are some that you feed(saw one in the LFS today actually) but they kill all the inverts.

IT sounds pretty cool, but stars are too slow for me, and mine hide all day long
Yeah some of the stars can be very fussy. Most stars need to be fed even if they do live in a well established tank. I must be able to pick out the most contrary fish-inverts etc. out there. My pin cushion "Timmy" loved to be held. My fire goby "Flash", was the most laid back fish I've ever had(he lives in Wisconsin now) Flash ignored every fish in the tank. And now the green death I just bought, "Vader", hangs out in front and center in the 55g 24/7. Especially since I "food dish" trained him. He likes to hang out under a ledge with one tentacle draped in the food dish waiting for meal time.
I can't wait to get my camera back from my inlaws
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post #10 of 14
7/13/08 at 6:47pm
having a sterile DT wont matter if you dont have a sterile sump.
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post #11 of 14
7/13/08 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by reefkprZ View Post
having a sterile DT wont matter if you dont have a sterile sump.


Since the one aiptasia invasion all of my seahorse tanks have been artificially seeded. I'm going to connect the 15g display tank to the 55g sump in 3-4 months. During those months I'll be seeding the 55g with cultured pods to prevent infestation of hitch hikers. The current 20lbs of LS in the sump, I grew in my other pony tank after I boiled and bleached the heck out of all the LR and LS.The dwarf seahorse tank can be set up sterile once the sump is cycled, the flow return will transfer pods into the DS, while preserving the main colony in the sump tank. Eventually I'll be adding several different types of shrimp because their tiny larvae offspring are also a favorite of seahorses.
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post #12 of 14
7/14/08 at 6:45am
gotcha, I misunderstood and thought it was going to be a standard sump with normal LR and such, and it didnt make sense to me.
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post #13 of 14
7/14/08 at 11:32am
Thread Starter 
Originally Posted by reefkprZ View Post
gotcha, I misunderstood and thought it was going to be a standard sump with normal LR and such, and it didnt make sense to me.
No problem...half the time I have to reread the stuff I type to make sure it makes sense
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post #14 of 14
10/11/10 at 11:27am

I am. In the next month I'll be setting up a 55 gallon tank completely dedicated to 10 Forbes sea stars. They live rather peacefully together so I'm not worried about them eating each other, plus they will be fed everyday. 

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