Ophiura - Choose My Stars

[demosthenes]

Okay, resident starfish expert, take a crack at this one. I'm not too sure when it comes to starfish. Scrap that, I'm hopeless when it comes to them. Anyhow, I have a 75G tank with 175 lbs of LR and 450 lbs of LS in the main tank and plan on making it a Reef once it is cycled and such, and really want some nice stars in my tank. I've thought about getting an assortment of Brittles, Serpents, and/or a Blue/Red Linkia (Whichever Is Hardier Or Feasible), but I'm not sure how many, and of which species. If you could pick out the stars, and amount of each, that I should put in my tank it would be great. I need to know which species would be good for my tank, a reef-safe, and hardy, so that I can read up on them as much as possible in the coming months before I purchase them. I also plan on getting a clean up crew, so I don't know if that matters.
PS I hope none of the following fish will affect or be affected by the starfish you choose, so please take them into consideration. A Coral Beauty, a Kole Tang, 2 Firefish, 2 Black and White Perculas, and in a year, 2 Mandarins, which I have checked out with Bang Guy first.
PPS The only stars that I know I do not want are the Sand-Sifting Stars, because my Mandarins will need the pods, and a Multiflora Linkia, because I truly do not like the look or color of them. Thanks in advance.

 

[ophiura]

Hi there,
Hopefully others will chip in too! But I will throw out some ideas:
First, I do not see any conflicts with the fish you want to keep.
So:
No chocolate chips, generals, or red african stars! Not reef safe.
Any brittle/serpentstar, or combination, will be fine, except for the green which is more likely than others to be predatory. Still, IMO, an uncommon thing, but it is possible. Actually, it is possible for any of them, but not all that common. Something to remember though.
So you don't like my current fav star? LOL. I like it because it is really quite tough, and you may actually find it in a blue morph as well. But OK.
The blue Linckia gets pretty large, and I prefer to see it in a 100g+ tank. Thankfully, you have a lot of LR, so that is a darn good start. Of course they will only feed off the LR, eating algal/bacterial films, the critters that feed on that (more likely) and/or encrusting sponges, tunicates, etc on LR.
I would reckon that most reef safe stars will be OK...no guarantees since these things are so poorly understood, but sounds like you have a good situation there to try it.
You are best off, however, with one. Since they can not be spot fed, it is best to let the star determine if there is room for another. This is why I like L. multiflora which reproduces a lot, even in smaller tanks. But others may do this too, if they are healthy enough, so it is a good sign.
I would think that an orange (probably Henricia?), burgandy (Echinaster luzonicus) or purple (Tamaria stria) "Linckia" would be the best choice. The purple may or may not be reef safe, but I believe it is. The knobby Linckia, probably Echinaster echinophorus, is also a possibility.
I am wary of the Fromia species stars, because the jury is really out on their diet. I don't know if these are what are called "red" Linckia...because I have heard L. multiflora sometimes called that. Darn common names. Anyway, its diet may be more specialized than Linckia, and many seem to die right at the year mark. Not a good sign at all.
Have I sent you the Toonen Linckia article yet? If you would like it, you can do a search on Google for Toonen and Linckia and it should be the first one up...or you can write me at ophiuroid@att.net and I can send it off.
So this is a start! As a general rule of thumb, it takes 9-12 months for a star to starve to death. So, when seeking advice from people who have them, you may want to ask if they have had them more than a year. This is when we start to consider that the star is healthy, and that it is 'successful.'
Also keep in mind the basics: 1.025-1.026 specific grav, long slow drip acclimation, 6 month old tank minimum, pristine water conditions, etc.

 

[demosthenes]

Originally posted by ophiura
Any brittle/serpentstar, or combination, will be fine,
Okay, that being said. Can I get 2 Brittles then? If so, which of them would you suggest, other than the Green?
PS Thanks a lot for you help.

 

[ophiura]

THere are a lot out there, and of course it includes serpentstars, which are the same beasts but with smaller arm spines. The black one's are probably the most common (genus Ophiocoma). There is a yellow that is a very close relative of the green (meaning might have similar behaviors), but two of us (myself and a friend) have each lost one, either to parasites or starvation. It is still somewhat of a mystery to me.
Keep in mind that any do, on an individual basis, have the ability to catch and eat things you may not want them to. However, the same can be said for most crabs and 'reef safe' shrimp. It is a risk with any of these guys.
Just remember to wait until tank specs are good and stable, usually still quite a few months after the tank has cycled (6 month old tanks, min, IMO). And acclimate them slowly!

 

[elan]

Ophiura, i would like to say thank you....i basically had the same question and this answered it perfectly...
if i could ask you one question though.. which would you say is more hardy? a linka or sperpant??
thank you.

 

[saltyj]

Ophiura I have a serpent and you say that they cannot be spot feed or hand feed. I hand feed mine quite often. Is this uncommon or did I misunderstand your post?

 

[bang guy]

I believe ophiura was referring to Linckia and not any of the brittle stars.

 

[ophiura]

Originally posted by SaltyJ
Ophiura I have a serpent and you say that they cannot be spot feed or hand feed. I hand feed mine quite often. Is this uncommon or did I misunderstand your post?
Both serpents/brittles typically respond very well to spot feeding, as do non reef safe stars like choc chips, generals and red africans.
elan, I would never consider any species of Linckia hardy....most brittles and serpents are, except for the red serpent Ophioderma squamosissimum. All, regardless, require long acclimations.