small reef safe starfish for a nano???

[agoutihead]

are there any small reef safe starfish that could fair well in a nano tank around 10 gallons?
im also going to have a 10 gallon fuge dedicated to the nano.
ive seen that marble star fish stay small and are reef safe, but i want a starfish that will eat prepared foods also.

 

[bruder]

Most will tell you no on a star in a tank that small. You might be able to keep a serpent/brittle star for a little while but it will get big, probably 8-12 inches across so it can't stay in a 10g for ever. It is a great scavenger feeder and will most likely take small pieces of chopped fish/shrimp.

 

[ophiura]

No, IMO there is no reef safe seastar suitable for that tank size, ESPECIALLY not the marble star (a Fromia) regardless of small size.
A small type of brittlestar perhaps, such as the "harlequin" one on this site (Ophioderma appressum) which stays small enough. But water quality must be kept top notch and that is not easy to do in small tanks.

 

[agoutihead]

i stopped at one of the top 2 lfs in my state, and the guy had both marble starfish and orange linkias. they were both about the same size. like 2-3 inches.
i will wait to put the marble and linkia in my 75 when i get that set up.
but for the nano, i have heard and read that the Fromia milleporella is a good starfish for what im looking for.
what do you think about that one?
by the way, the main tank is gonna be a custom acrylic 16Lx15Wx13h
and im also going to have a 10 gallon fuge with sand and fiji mud. i will run chaeto in both comparts of mud and sand. i will not be running a skimmer and will dose with live phytoplankton on a weekly basis to keep the pod and micro fauna population high.
i think a major factor in my setup is that i will not be running a skimmer and therefore not pulling out beneficial things like phytoplankton and other mysterious things. i just have to stay ontop of the water quality/changes. once every 10-14 days is a system im going to try and get in place.
im also going to try a psycedelic mandarine fish as well. and i am aware of their needs, but i feel confident enough that i can keep and sustain a high enough pod population between the fuge and display. im going to try and make it a "super fuge" and have it bursting with bugs!
by the way, i didnt see this harlequin serpant star you were talking about?

 

[ophiura]

IMO?
Absolutely positively not.
PLEASE DO NOT BUY A FROMIA for that tank size. It does not matter how small the star is, it will not survive long term in that type tank, IMO. PLEASE DO NOT BUY it.
I honestly don't know that I would recommend that star even in a 75 with loads of LR. Certainly not both a Linckia and a Fromia.
It is your tank. Sounds like you are trying to go against the grain. I disagree with you on the mandarin as well of course. But it is your tank, and your money...but keep in mind the LFS would very much like to have that money.
These stars take about a year to die at least, so success is measured if they live past 18 months. WHo knows, it could, but I think it unlikely personally.

 

[ophiura]

THis is the "harlequin" serpentstar - though the coloration can be variable
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=4

 

[agoutihead]

well you are the starfish expert! guess ill have to listen to you!
the mandarine... i think i can do it though.
i also plan to get a pods booster bottle online for my fuge. im gonna wait a month or two to put the mandarine in.
its not about money, its about me feeling confident enough that i can sustain a large enough pod population for the psychedelic mandarine.
im not saying its easy and everyone can do it... but i feel i can... and you have to admit... it can be done in the right hands!
that serpant star is really pretty sweet. how big will it get tip to tip? and how big does its body get?
i like serpants and their cool... but i LOVE star fish and they are awesome!

 

[agoutihead]

also, would a serpant star be a good thing to keep in a fuge to keep all the junk from collecting?
im thinking about also putting an orange spotted in my fuge as well as my display.
i want to keep the sand sifted in the fuge as well.

 

[buhda_72]

Find some one who has alot of mini brittle stars in the tank that would sell you some and put in about 20 25 of them and you would have little bity ones crawling all over the place that would be neat in a nano tank.