Ophiura - echinoderm reccomendations?
- Thread starter arkman
- Start date
ophiura
Active Member
Well, what are your tanks specs in terms of amount of LR and age, in addition to specific gravity?
The limiting factor with the reef safe stars is the amount of LR, and in a small tank, there are not too many good one's. A blue Linckia is out of the question, IMO, and I would potentially consider Fromia a risky option as well. These stars can not be fed anything else. They feed on algal/baterial films (not macroalgae), the critters that eat it, or sponges, bryozoans, (encrusty bits on the LR). This stuff takes time to regrow, and a star can easily clear a tank quickly of suitable food.
You might be able to keep a smaller Linckia multiflora. You can do a search- there have been recent posts with photos. This recommendation assumes that you have a good amount of LR, a min of about 50lbs. Only try to keep one. And remember to acclimate them very slowly (4+ hours).
The better choices are brittlestars or serpentstars, because these can be spot fed. The green brittle should be avoided. Other species are not considered to be as problematic, but there are always risks. Some might argue that serpentstars are less likely to be predatory than brittles, but I have seen serpentstars implicated as well. They are very good at scavenging however, so some reports may be misleading.
The non-reefsafe knobby stars like generals, choc chips and ref africans are good choices if you don't have a reef tank. They can also be spot fed.
Avoid a sand sifting star at all costs. It will starve in this system, as in most, and will consume life in a DSB (if you are using one).
In general, the problem here is that your tank size is marginal, IMO, for keeping one of the reef safe stars. If you have a good amount of LR (50lbs) and a mature tank (over 6 months), the L. multiflora may work for you. But there are no guarantees. Also be sure to keep tank parameters good and constant.
I have a link or two on the reef safe stars. You can write me at ophiuroid@att.net if you would like them.
The limiting factor with the reef safe stars is the amount of LR, and in a small tank, there are not too many good one's. A blue Linckia is out of the question, IMO, and I would potentially consider Fromia a risky option as well. These stars can not be fed anything else. They feed on algal/baterial films (not macroalgae), the critters that eat it, or sponges, bryozoans, (encrusty bits on the LR). This stuff takes time to regrow, and a star can easily clear a tank quickly of suitable food.
You might be able to keep a smaller Linckia multiflora. You can do a search- there have been recent posts with photos. This recommendation assumes that you have a good amount of LR, a min of about 50lbs. Only try to keep one. And remember to acclimate them very slowly (4+ hours).
The better choices are brittlestars or serpentstars, because these can be spot fed. The green brittle should be avoided. Other species are not considered to be as problematic, but there are always risks. Some might argue that serpentstars are less likely to be predatory than brittles, but I have seen serpentstars implicated as well. They are very good at scavenging however, so some reports may be misleading.
The non-reefsafe knobby stars like generals, choc chips and ref africans are good choices if you don't have a reef tank. They can also be spot fed.
Avoid a sand sifting star at all costs. It will starve in this system, as in most, and will consume life in a DSB (if you are using one).
In general, the problem here is that your tank size is marginal, IMO, for keeping one of the reef safe stars. If you have a good amount of LR (50lbs) and a mature tank (over 6 months), the L. multiflora may work for you. But there are no guarantees. Also be sure to keep tank parameters good and constant.
I have a link or two on the reef safe stars. You can write me at ophiuroid@att.net if you would like them.
- how big do they get?