feeding starfish...

[sinner's g]

I've had starfish for over 7 years. My brittle and serpent lived over five years. I've had my current brittle since Aug 2005.
I went to get shrimp today, and figured out that I've been getting cooked shrimp. I feel like an idiot because I've grown up around shrimp and should know the difference.
1. Should I change to raw shrimp? I've been feeding my brittle star 1/3-1/2 a cooked salad shrimp once a week or so for the past two years. That's the same thing I fed the other stars I had in the past.
2. Could the cooked shrimp have cause problems in the past that would have killed my fish? (I've had some unexplainable deaths.)
I currently don't have fish and only have one starfish in the tank.

Thanks,
Sinner's Girl

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by Sinner's G
I've had starfish for over 7 years. My brittle and serpent lived over five years. I've had my current brittle since Aug 2005.
I went to get shrimp today, and figured out that I've been getting cooked shrimp. I feel like an idiot because I've grown up around shrimp and should know the difference.
1. Should I change to raw shrimp? I've been feeding my brittle star 1/3-1/2 a cooked salad shrimp once a week or so for the past two years. That's the same thing I fed the other stars I had in the past.
2. Could the cooked shrimp have cause problems in the past that would have killed my fish? (I've had some unexplainable deaths.)
I currently don't have fish and only have one starfish in the tank.

Thanks,
Sinner's Girl
I feed my brittles everything RAW,,, they are the most agressive eaters in the tank,, they will attempt to take any food from my lobster, They like, silverslides, clam, squid, krill, raw scallop and even pellets.

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by Sinner's G
I've had starfish for over 7 years. My brittle and serpent lived over five years. I've had my current brittle since Aug 2005.
I went to get shrimp today, and figured out that I've been getting cooked shrimp. I feel like an idiot because I've grown up around shrimp and should know the difference.
1. Should I change to raw shrimp? I've been feeding my brittle star 1/3-1/2 a cooked salad shrimp once a week or so for the past two years. That's the same thing I fed the other stars I had in the past.
2. Could the cooked shrimp have cause problems in the past that would have killed my fish? (I've had some unexplainable deaths.)
I currently don't have fish and only have one starfish in the tank.

Thanks,
Sinner's Girl
hi sinners girl definatly switch to raw shrimp, they dont eat cooked shrimp in the wild lol.
IM not sure if the cooked shrimp caused problems but i wonder in what kind of pan they cook it in mabie some heavy metals could of gotten into the shrimp

 

[miaheatlvr]

I know cooked shrimp get very AMONIA SMELLY like after a while, if not consumed immediately. Heres my 2 brittles.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=275051

 

[sinner's g]

I know to feed them raw...I thought I was...They got raw of other stuff...I know it's not going to kill him since the other two ate the same thing for over 5 years...but oddly, I can't keep anything BUTstarfish alive...most of the time I have a reason...but there have been a few unexplained deaths. ugh.
Mine have never been aggressive for food...I do hand feed them though, my old ones were 'trained' to come to the top of the tank for food. I loved watching those guys 'run' and 'climb' for the shrimp.
Great pictures. I've posted pic's of mine, but they are under Sinner's Girl.

 

[ophiura]

I would suggest a more diverse diet than shrimp - either raw or cooked, personally.
As for the other problems, I am sure there is a different reason for it, not related to the shrimp.

 

[peckhead]

i did the same thing with cooked shrimp for about a week before i realized...the guy at the market said it was raw!!!
i made a post and everyone said its fine but there isnt as much nutrition in cooked seafood as raw for fish

 

[kidreef]

wow i didnt know u need to feed brittles i was told they were scavengers should i start feeding mine?

 

[ophiura]

Our tanks tend to be full of a lot of scavengers and potentially this means that some things are not getting enough food. I definitely recommend spot feeding them.

 

[sinner's g]

I do feed other things...not just shrimp, he gets shrimp once a week, but other things at other times. Make sense? Only the shrimp is cooked.
Spot feed them, they love it! Plus, it's fun to watch them come out for the food.
Thanks, ophiura, I'll feed him what I have, then switch to raw.