Best Reef Starfish

[cedarreef]

I want to add a starfish to my CUC to help stir up the sand and eat uneaten food that gets swept into crevices or sinks to the bottom. What kind of star would you all recommend? I was thinking about getting a brittle star, but I like the serpents, too. Which one would be a good scavenger in a 46g mixed reef?

 

[coralreefer]

brittle or serpent,
theyre both good

 

[jackri]

Don't expect them to keep your tank clean -- although they are part of a CUC. I prefer the serpents personally... not so ugly

 

[joe____17]

Dont mean to hijack your thread, but do serpents or brittle stars bother hermits or snails or anything?

 

[jackri]

Nope not at all -- have 100 of each with my serpent star.

 

[cedarreef]

I don't expect them to keep my tank sparkling clean or anything, but I've read they do a good job of cleaning the sand a bit. Do you think a red serpent would be good choice?

 

[coralreefer]

Originally Posted by CedarReef
http:///forum/post/2987304
I don't expect them to keep my tank sparkling clean or anything, but I've read they do a good job of cleaning the sand a bit. Do you think a red serpent would be good choice?
ya just make sure it doesnt get too big

 

[cedarreef]

Will it outgrow my tank? I want something that will be set in my tank permanently. I know starfish like meaty foods like oysters and pieces of fish, but will it also eat algae or detritus?

 

[black cobra]

Serpent Star is the way to go. I have 2 in my 75G and they are great sand sifters

 

[cedarreef]

Sounds good to me. I'll ask my LFS to order one for me. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[jackri]

I do supplement feed my serpent star twice a week with a little shrimp pellet... just so he doesn't starve trying to scavenge... plus fun to watch him grab it, and shove up into this body -- you can actually see the opposite side of his mouth stretch out and look like a shrimp pellet.

 

[cedarreef]

That's very cool. I would definitely feed the star as well as letting it scavenge. What kind of serpent star do you have? I was thinking about getting a red serpent.

 

[flower]

Serpent and brittle stars are great but don't expect to see either one very much. They live in the rocks and are seldom seen except MAYBE when you can coax them out with a piece of shrimp.
They do their job, you just don't see them much.

 

[jackri]

Mine's not red, more of the brown/grey type. Cool looking but yeah.. you really won't see them much. Extended he's probably 5 inches give or take, but the body isn't really that big.

 

[cedarreef]

That's fine. I know they are nocturnal which is just fine by me because I like to look into my tank when the lights are off most of the time anyway lol. I'll probably get it to come out whenever I feed it, though.

 

[cedarreef]

Ok, I'm reviving this old thread to ask a few more questions. Will a brittle outgrow my tank or start preying on the small fish once it gets bigger?

 

[ophiura]

These stars are definitely nocturnal, which is why you don't see them with lights on with the exception of arms.
I agree that ALL should be spot fed...they may or may not help with detritus. IMO, the best at this are the Ophiocoma species stars, often sold as "black" brittlestars.
The big red serpenstar, BTW, is one of the most delicate species in the hobby and acclimation is critical. What are your water parameters?
The green brittlestars is a KNOWN PREDATOR IN THE WILD and should be avoided, though is the most common species in the trade.
Few other species are a risk but all are blamed for something. IMO the risk is very low with other species. But again, all should be spot fed and don't count on them to resolve detritus issues (which may be circulation and overfeeding).
As an aside, there is no difference between brittle and serpentstars. these are common names for the same animal, and there is no behavioral difference that can be attributed to this distinction (eg none are "safer" than others based on this).
I had started this thread on Brittlestars

 

[cedarreef]

Thanks for the great information. My params are near perfect (0 amm, 0 trites, 0 trates, 0 phates, 8.2 pH, 1.024/25 SG), but I think I'm just going to hold off on a starfish. The one that I'm probably looking for ideally is a sand sifting star, but that would definitely die in my tank as it doesn't have the vast amount of life rock and sand that it needs to survive.

 

[mech-a-nic]

I have a brittle that will and has killed fish (yes I watched him catch a dasmal) but I put him where he can do no harm now He is cool to watch

I also have a Blue Linckia Starfish that has been fun out in the open all the time and never bothered anything in the 2 years he has been in my tank

I would say go with the Blue Linckia.

 

[cedarreef]

As much as I love the blue linckia, I don't think it would be worth is as I know how extremely delicate and difficult they are to keep. Does anyone have any experience with orange linckias? I've read that they are a lot hardier than the blues.