researching a blue starfish (linka)

[psumba]

I am starting to research whether I should purchase a blue starfish for my tank...
are they reef safe?
will it thrive in my set-up?
what do I need to keep in mind?
any experiences or knowledge you have is highly appreciated.
TIA.

 

[jonthefb]

They are reef safe. But what kind of set up do you have? You have to be very careful with this type of starfsh, as they are very sensitive to water parameters. pH needs to be perfect! You should have great water quality and a fairly established tank before you consider this animal. They are algae/dertitus grazers, and will just cruise around your rockwork eating anything they can find. Make sure that if you do purchase one of them that you dont touch it with your hands, because the oils on your skin damages them. Do an internet search, and even search this message board for past info, but defintately look into it before buying, cause these little guys are delicate!
good luck
jon

 

[psumba]

any other advice?
My tank is a 55gal, set-up since Feb 02, 5 fish, std hermits, snails, one brittlestar, emerald crab, lightfoot crab, ~75# LR, ~2in DSB
Xenia, Star Polyp
what pH should I be looking for?
My Xenia complains if it ever drops to 8.0