Basket Starfish

shrimpi

Active Member
I love this creature.. always have but I am too afraid to buy one (like many others, I agree this critter belongs in the ocean) but I applaud you for actually taking the time to give it the best chance it can have in the home aquarium. I think at this point (5 mos) its ok to say that he is at least getting some of what he needs or he wouldnt be here!
I really hope he continues to fair well for you.. and when he gets big enough(and feeding becomes too difficult because of the water quality issue..) donate him to a city aquarium so EVERYONE can enjoy!
Good Luck, I hope for your continued success! keep plastering those pics!
Jess
 

earnit33

Member
Thank you for the respectable response,I'm doing what I can with him,Thought I might have lost him the other week,my A/C evaportor fan took a dump while I was at work when I got home it was like 95 degrees in the house and my tanks were like 88 degrees +,I lost almost all my Zoa's,2-toadstools,clownfish,and a couple of other things.
 

shrimpi

Active Member
oh thats terrible! I had only once event like that when I had a freshwater tank.. the heater malfunctioned and killed every last fish in the tank.. boiled them (not really but it got really hot).
I cant imagine losing anything in my SW tank for anything! you must be so upset. I hope the star is doing well :)
What size tank do you have him in? are there any other tank inhabitants? can you give more information about your setup? Im just curious :)
Hope to see more pics soon!
Jess
 

earnit33

Member
The star is in a 55,the zoas and clown were in a 8 gal. biocube. timer turned lights on about 2 hrs before I got home,Just T-5's on 55,and stock PC's on the biocube,so the heat in the house and the lights coming on didn't help anything.Don't have a chiller.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Wanted to add that basketstars are easy to keep, compared to crinoids. they can be spot fed, but are typically just too large for home tanks (in addition to being nocturnal and requiring pretty specialized feeding). They need a really dedicated hobbyist to feed them properly
These are animals where success with them means they will outgrow nearly all home tanks.
They are definitely not impossible, and I want to ensure that people are not confusing them with crinoids, a very different beast.
 
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