Good star for my tank???

kaotik

kaotik

Member
I currently have fish, liver rock, couple corals, anem, and inverts...
I am wondering, what type of 'starfish' could I get that would be okay with coral/LR?
I dont really care for the brittlestars as they are always hidden in the rockwork. (even though i may get a couple just for my cleaner crew) I would really like something that I can see, but am so confused about all of the different types (serpent, lynkia, knobby, etc)
Can anyone advise????
 
gmusick

gmusick

Member
Well, a serpent star will give you the same basic behavior as the brittle, however, I love them in my tank. Not only for the cleaner aspect, but for the brilliant colors that they come in. I have a small, red brittle star. He stays under the rockwork quite a bit, but when he does come out, he gets your attention. He also lets his arms hang out from under the rockwork and they are very visible. I am not a starfish expert, but here is some basic info on some stars that I have looked into:
linkia - can be hard to keep, especially the blue ones, but lots of people keep them successfully. They are reef safe.
sand sifting - they eat the beneficial bacteria in your sand. They are reef safe, but not recommended.
brittle/serpent stars - reef safe, good cleaners. They do tend to stay hidden, except at night. Green brittle is known to be predacious.
Hope that helps a little. maybe someone with more knowledge of stars can give you more info.
Glen
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Would need to know specifics:
Tank size
age
amount of LR
Specific water quality esp nitrate, pH, alkalinity, calcium and specific gravity
A serpentstar is the same thing as a brittlestar.
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
tank size = 60gal
Age = 4 months
LR = approx 50lbs
water params = Am = 0
Ni = 0
Na = 0
pH = 8.2
Temp = 82F
Spec G = 1.023
the serpent stars that I am refering to are smooth, while the brittle star has little spikes all over it. You are probably right that they are the same, they just look different. :)
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member
I really like my serpent star, Ophioderma sp. Here's a picture.

He comes out everytime food hits that water. I target feed him a couple times a week plus he snags pellets and what-not that the fish/hermits miss.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
They are the same, but do look kinda different :)
IMO, your tank is on the young side for a star, and the specific gravity is a bit on the low side. Maybe not a problem for certain brittle/serpentstars, but for reef safe stars it needs to be higher, IMO.
Your tank is also a bit small and light on LR. Its not a criticism :D its just that reef safe stars need LR to graze on. So more is always better. IMO, the best bet would be Linckia multiflora that seems to do quite well in mature smaller tanks. You are marginal for something like an orange Linckia, or perhaps Fromia milleporella, though I don't feed comfortable recommending them outright. A blue Linckia would be out of the question, personally.
YOu can possibly also keep the "knobby star" Echinaster echinophorus. There is not as much feedback on these, however (in terms of amount of LR).
Avoid sand sifter stars and chocolate chips, general and red African stars...all are basically predatory or do poorly in tanks.
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
ophiura, no offense taken. thanks for the great info! i'd rather have someone tell me the facts than have a star die!!
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
is this the Linckia multiflora you were talking about? if so, where can i get one...I have never seen these for sale anywhere??
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
That's mighty interestin' coloration....ummmm....multiflora is usually mottled like that indeed. Might very well be. Usually not that pink!
 
kaotik

kaotik

Member
i found that pic on a site that was selling it, but im not into buying online. they said it was a multiflora. do you have a pic of what they generally look like?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
In this tank or in general? They are basically similar to an orange (meaning, in this tank, it would be marginal). Most are Tamaria stria, with orange feet.
 
teresaq1

teresaq1

Member
I guess i was thinking of for me. but not till i set up my 150. Right now i have a 55 gal, and in about 6 to 8 mo i will be setting up my 150. Will be transfering everything i have now, and adding another 100 lbs of live rock.
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member
After all this talk, I found one at my LFS! :D

Here he is in acclimation bucket. His arms are short but he seems to be regenerating ok.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Short arms in this species is not a concern at all. In the proper tank, they will commonly reproduce via arm drops...if you notice a piece of arm, don't remove it :D
 
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