My chocolate chip star ate my mexican snail

vanos

Member
Is this common? The star was on top of the snail and sucked the snail into his mouth. I used to have a common hermit crab that did the same thing so I got rid of it and gave it to a lfs for credit.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Yes, that is their natural diet. I recommend spot feeding chocolate chip stars but they can't be expected to pass up a normal meal.
 

goldenboy

Member
Forget spot feeding, buy it more snails. The only things they will eat are meaty foods. Snails, featherdusters, maybe a hermit here or there. Invest in some polyps while your at it. :D
 

debbie

Active Member
goldenboy you are being sarcastic.... :D
Vanos, I have a chocolate chip star and so far knock on wood my hermit crab, snail and mushrooms have not been touched. But they will eat all of the mentioned believe me I have read from others they will.
But you can spot feed, I spot feed mine all the time, using krill and shrimp pellets. If your star comes to the top and lays its arm back drop a pellet or some krill in the center. If it is on the bottom drop some food beside it and I use a stick to push it over close to it and it soon moves over ontop of the food.
Good luck they are fun but will eat corals, crabs and snails.
:happy:
 

vanos

Member
So it will eat hermit crabs? Shell and everything? I do spot feed him silver sides which he eats.
 

debbie

Active Member
Vanos, I only put the crab, snails etc as that is what many claim they will do. If they can catch it they will eat it. I have had my star now for 1 month, I do spot feed with krill, shrimp pellets etc. They will also search out food on the sand floor too. I have a snail, hermit crab, mushrooms and knock on wood he has not bothered to eat them. I have seen him climbing all over my rock and has not touch a mushroom yet..... :cheer:
I personally do believe though that in the aquarium we must feed our inverts. If you just let them forge on what falls and not supplement them they will waste away, eat things they should not etc.
The home aquarium is not like the ocean, so in these tiny quarters of saltwater all inverts have to compete for food to sufice their hunger. If you are spot feeding that is great, maybe your snail was dead I don't know.
Good luck to you...... :happyfish
 

airframer

Member
wow that is new to me I have a choclate, a blue lackia, and a red one.... Ive had them all for 3 - 5 mo. and never spot fed and I havent seen them eating nething else... Im confused. Could they enjoy algae, I know alot of times right after I put seaweed in for my fish and Ill look later and my chocolate or my long spiney urchin will have it all hung on them.... Should I try to spot feed now or do u think they are used to the way it is ?????
 

ophiura

Active Member
I STRONGLY recommend feeding the chocolate chip something meaty. They are not herbivores. They may be eating various hitch hiker snails, etc...or other snails, sponges, etc.
The Linckia can not be spot fed, and need large mature reef tanks...the blue needs a minimum, IMO of about 100lbs of LR. Without suitable amounts of LR, the majority will starve to death within a year. It is estimated they will take 9-12 months to die of starvation.
 

debbie

Active Member
Ophiura, I read that chocolate chip stars need some sponges in their diet or they will be malnurished, is this true?
 

dapak83

Member
my choco ship ate 3 of my turbo snails!!!! Just sucked them out of there shells!!! WOW! :-O
i need to get him diff food!! soo he stops..
 

norcal

Member
my chocolate chip hasnt even touched my turbos. thats cuz they are sooo huge though....surprised my turbos havent eaten the choc chip!
i spot feed mine clams and salmon and crabmeat...he likes it all and he has so far left my hermits alone as well.
 

dapak83

Member
clamms.. come to think of i mines been hiding ever since i got em... hes jus went under the sand and never came out.. u think i shud go hunting and try to find him or what?
 

ophiura

Active Member
Most clams live under the sand. Only a few, such as giant clams, live exposed.
Chocolate chip stars have a varied diet and are somewhat omnivorous. I would assume that sponge is part of their diet but can't verify that it is a requirement for their diet. If there is LR provided, then they may find sponge there.
 

debbie

Active Member
I also read that if you feed the CCS the food for angels it containes sponge in it. Do you know anything about this? I think mine is getting enough, but the shrimp pellets it really does not care for. Krill, now that is a whole different story.
Hey Ophiura, you know the shrimp that we eat, the cooked shrimp with tails on. Can you feed this to a CCS? What about Scallops we eat can you feed this too?
:happy:
 

norcal

Member
all the food i mentioned above is from safeway :joy: and so far my starfish seems to be healthy....he is sorta darkening on the end of his legs which worried me for a while but im pretty sure its natural. so unless somene tells me otherwise, im pretty sure its ok to give them seafood that is prepared for us.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Yup - food fit for human consumption is fine...unless it is breaded and deep fried or seasoned, LOL. You can sometimes by seafood combo packs in the frozen section that is basically a bag of octopus, shrimp, and mussels. Scallops would be a fine addition as well, and yes you could feed the angel diet which has sponge in it :yes:
 

dapak83

Member
guys i tried to spot feed the choco chip star... he will reject the peices of shrip i tripe to give him... ( they were raw shrimps from one of theo frozen bags.... and he hunted down and ate 2 more of my turbos ( i dono why we call em turbos they are soo slow) soo the count is now 5 snails for the star!!
 

debbie

Active Member
Did you try setting him onto of the food? Try that. I just put food into my tank and mine goes right to it now. I started this when I first brought him home. I have one large snail and he has never bothered it. Sounds like yours has a taste for turbos..... :mad:
Deb
 
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