Need Fish with an attitude

[rykna]

I have a 55 sump tank simmering. I just put a green "death" brittle star in to help with the cycling. I've always wanted a species only tank for this beautiful, but vicious brittle star. Are there any fish that could share a tank with the green brittle and not end up on the lunch menu?

 

[hammerhed7]

how does the star help your cycle? In any event there are many fish you could keep with it, but with the limited size of the tank you have to keep you fish choices on the smaller end

 

[payton 350]

are you cycling with a starfish....i don;t get it....

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Payton 350
http:///forum/post/2678453
are you cycling with a starfish....i don;t get it....

Please do not be offended by my detailed response. I do so for the benefit of all the members here.

The key ingredient to successfully cycle a tank is ammonia, which is created by waste matter, and a by-product of respiration~ CO2.
All creatures excrete waste matter and use O2 or CO2 for respiration. I just happened to choose the green brittle star to start the cycle. They eat and therefore excrete.
Because green brittle stars are omnivores, and will eat anything in your tank once they reach a certain size; and I have wanted to devote a "species only tank" to this beautiful, but dangerous star, I decided to put it in my sump tank. Also my display tank is for my dwarf seahorses. I wanted to choose a critter that would not devour the pods which are a favorite snack of seahorses.
I was hoping to get some input about a possible tank mate to help the cycling along.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Hammerhed7
http:///forum/post/2678411
how does the star help your cycle? In any event there are many fish you could keep with it, but with the limited size of the tank you have to keep you fish choices on the smaller end
The main display tank is for my dwarf seahorse tank, which is a 15g high.
adult size:

baby size:

I may add a few damsels, but at some point they most likely end up on the dinner menu.
here's a pic:

 

[spanko]

So if I am reading this correct your sump tank is not cycling, it is connected to the seahorse display tank right? As for critter to go with the death star I am pretty sure whatever you put with it unless it is a total herbivore will eat your pods, and probably get eaten by the star if it gets half a chance.

 

[prime311]

Originally Posted by Rykna
http:///forum/post/2678699
Please do not be offended by my detailed response. I do so for the benefit of all the members here.

The key ingredient to successfully cycle a tank is ammonia, which is created by waste matter, and a by-product of respiration~ CO2.
All creatures excrete waste matter and use O2 or CO2 for respiration. I just happened to choose the green brittle star to start the cycle. They eat and therefore excrete.
Because green brittle stars are omnivores, and will eat anything in your tank once they reach a certain size; and I have wanted to devote a "species only tank" to this beautiful, but dangerous star, I decided to put it in my sump tank. Also my display tank is for my dwarf seahorses. I wanted to choose a critter that would not devour the pods which are a favorite snack of seahorses.
I was hoping to get some input about a possible tank mate to help the cycling along.

I'd imagine the point is, why would cycle with a living thing when you can throw in a hunk of fresh shrimp and accomplish the same thing without any risk to your livestock?
Also, you shouldn't have to cycle a sump. The bacteria is in the display and will spread to the sump automatically.

 

[payton 350]

I find it amazing that someone that has so many posts(almost 4000) , is on here all the time, so you take in a lot of knowledge from the boards , would be using a living creature to cycle the tank, let alone a star. There are many ways you could have prevented even having to cycle. ie....established live rock, filters sponges, sand, etc........or if you wanted a cycle , the shrimp method, ghost feeding, or how about just adding straight ammonia to the tank since that is what we are looking for......
I'm glad i found this post from you.......it says a lot.

 

[prime311]

Well no need to be hard on them. I doubt anyone could run a dwarf seahorse tank successfully if they didn't already have a pretty good idea of how to do things

 

[payton 350]

No, i know she has had a pretty successful run with seahorses and is pretty knowledgeable in it or at least it seems from a few posts i have seen before. I am just surprised that this method would be chosen by someone of her expertise, when other safer , alternative methods are available and better for the tank and critter

 

[prime311]

Hehe, well just goes to show is that there is always something to be learned.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Payton 350
http:///forum/post/2679042
No, i know she has had a pretty successful run with seahorses and is pretty knowledgeable in it or at least it seems from a few posts i have seen before. I am just surprised that this method would be chosen by someone of her expertise, when other safer , alternative methods are available and better for the tank and critter
Gosh

I'll try not to let that go to my head.
You're absolutely right. Cycling the sump tank makes no sense what so ever, unless you're setting up a seahorse tank...especially a dwarf seahorse tank. Seahorse tanks need 3 times the cycling time than a reef tank. Besides the need of 100% water quality seahorses also require a huge population of pods; their favorite snack. My 4 month old Black Kuda ate the entire pod population of his 90g to almost extinction within 3 months.
Dwarf seahorses(ponies) do love to eat pods, but require a sterile tank to avoid infestation of hitch hikers such as aiptasia. The one invasion I had devoured 25 of my 30 ponies. Since then all of my seahorse tanks have been artificially seeded.
This is what leads to my choice to cycle the sump tank first. The dwarf seahorse tank can be set up sterile;50 ponies can comfortably fit in a 10g. I'm going to connect the 15g display tank to the 55g sump in 3-4 months. During those months I'll be seeding the 55g with cultured pods to prevent infestation of hitch hikers. The current 20lbs of LS in the sump, I grew in my other pony tank after I boiled and bleached the heck out of all the LR and LS.
Once set up the flow return will transfer pods into the DS, while preserving the main colony in the sump tank. Eventually I'll be adding several different types of shrimp because their tiny larvae offspring are also a favorite of seahorses.
I have never kept aggressive marine fish. The biggest problem I've had was my pin cushion urchin that was in my 90g reef tank. "Timmy" like to pull off the suction cup from the algae clip and place it on his head. He looked just like a little china man. I finally gave up taking it from him, no matter where I put it he'd find it. So I finally let Timmy keep it. Hence why I am asking if there is a fish capable of sharing space with the green death without becoming dinner.

 

[prime311]

Well in a 55 I would think one of the larger clowns would be fine with a Brittle Star. Most of the fish I consider redators just can't stay in a 55 snce they get too big. Clowns, Pygmy Angels, some of the smaller Wrasse's would all be ok in there and I doubt they'd get taken out by a Starfish, but its tough to say that for sure with the green brittle.

 

[petjunkie]

I would go for an open water swimmer, damsels, chromis, firefish etc. Nothing that spends most of the time on the bottom of the tank or that sleeps in the rocks like some wrasses. It'll all depend on how well fed you keep the starfish and how predatory it is. It may never bother anything or become a menace.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2679109
Well in a 55 I would think one of the larger clowns would be fine with a Brittle Star. Most of the fish I consider predators just can't stay in a 55 since they get too big. Clowns, Pygmy Angels, some of the smaller Wrasse's would all be ok in there and I doubt they'd get taken out by a Starfish, but its tough to say that for sure with the green brittle.
Size is where I got stuck too. I'm definitely considering tomatoe clowns, the only thing I worry about clown fish is that they are overly curious, and like to nip. I did see the pygmy angel was on sale here.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
http:///forum/post/2679328
I would go for an open water swimmer, damsels, chromis, firefish etc. Nothing that spends most of the time on the bottom of the tank or that sleeps in the rocks like some wrasses. It'll all depend on how well fed you keep the starfish and how predatory it is. It may never bother anything or become a menace.
That's an great idea. Stock the tank by level. I feed the star every other day will krill. I'm trying to train the star to eat from a food dish. So far the star has stuck in a tentacle and has reeled in a few pieces of mysis and shrimp pellets. It's taken a few krill from my hand and I'm using those to lead it over to the dish.
Here's a video of one of my female kudas finishing off the dish of mysis. Seahorses are extremely intelligent. The dish training takes five minutes at most. From that time on, my horses were always hitched over the food dish waiting for dinner.

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by prime311
http:///forum/post/2678946
I'd imagine the point is, why would cycle with a living thing when you can throw in a hunk of fresh shrimp and accomplish the same thing without any risk to your livestock?
Also, you shouldn't have to cycle a sump. The bacteria is in the display and will spread to the sump automatically.
Very true. I picked the green brittle cause , well I'm a sucker...I've always wanted a tank dedicated to the green monster.