starfish questions
- Thread starter yetex
- Start date
yetex
Member
Well i have 2 tanks that are relatively new one has been up 2 months and is and the other has been up for a month
The nitratrates are the only thing that might be a problem. Im not really sure what they are at since the test i have is very hard to tell between red and dark red. But my ammonia and nitrite are at 0. Ph is around 8.2
The nitratrates are the only thing that might be a problem. Im not really sure what they are at since the test i have is very hard to tell between red and dark red. But my ammonia and nitrite are at 0. Ph is around 8.2
demosthenes
Active Member
I would get a Brittle Star, or two depending on the size of the tank, but not for some time now. I would stay away from the Sand Sifting Star though, as they deplete the DSB of any life.
PS Where in IN are you?
PS Where in IN are you?
T
thomas712
Guest
Now serving: a little cut and paste-
Brittle
Stars
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Ophiuroidea
General
Brittle stars form part of the group called echinoderms, which means "spiny skinned", and are in a class called Ophiuroidea, which means "snake like".
The skins of these creatures are filled with hard plates or spines and most have the body divided into 5 radial parts extending from a central disc.
Members of this group can regrow lost body parts, with some being able to grow a fragment into a new individual.
Brittle stars can be either male or female. The arms are either smoothe, spiny or branching but lack a groove like the sea stars. Brittle stars have only one set of internal organs, situated in the central disc. There is a toothed mouth and water pressure pore on the underside of the disc, but no anus. The flexible arms are made of tiny rings held together with muscle-like tissue.
The tube feet of a brittle star lack adhesive suckers. Some produce slimy mucus which traps tiny organisms, so the arms can be used to filter plankton from the current.
A brittle star may shovel sand or mud into its mouth, which is armed with tiny teeth. Animal and vegetable content are digested. Usually feed on detritus or prey on worms, crustaceans and bivalves.
To escape attacks the brittle star may shed their arms, whick then can regrow.
Movement is achieved by using its arms in a rowing like fashion. Compared to the sea star the brittle star is a fast moving.
Usually found below the low tide water mark, on the bottom under rocks and corals. They tend to avoid direct sunlight and range between 10-75 cm in diameter.
Specialised forms of brittle stars are Basket stars, which have multi-branched arms, and serpent stars, which often coil around the branches of gorgonians.
Brittle
Stars
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Ophiuroidea
General
Brittle stars form part of the group called echinoderms, which means "spiny skinned", and are in a class called Ophiuroidea, which means "snake like".
The skins of these creatures are filled with hard plates or spines and most have the body divided into 5 radial parts extending from a central disc.
Members of this group can regrow lost body parts, with some being able to grow a fragment into a new individual.
Brittle stars can be either male or female. The arms are either smoothe, spiny or branching but lack a groove like the sea stars. Brittle stars have only one set of internal organs, situated in the central disc. There is a toothed mouth and water pressure pore on the underside of the disc, but no anus. The flexible arms are made of tiny rings held together with muscle-like tissue.
The tube feet of a brittle star lack adhesive suckers. Some produce slimy mucus which traps tiny organisms, so the arms can be used to filter plankton from the current.
A brittle star may shovel sand or mud into its mouth, which is armed with tiny teeth. Animal and vegetable content are digested. Usually feed on detritus or prey on worms, crustaceans and bivalves.
To escape attacks the brittle star may shed their arms, whick then can regrow.
Movement is achieved by using its arms in a rowing like fashion. Compared to the sea star the brittle star is a fast moving.
Usually found below the low tide water mark, on the bottom under rocks and corals. They tend to avoid direct sunlight and range between 10-75 cm in diameter.
Specialised forms of brittle stars are Basket stars, which have multi-branched arms, and serpent stars, which often coil around the branches of gorgonians.
ophiura
Active Member
Funny, others would say stay away from any brittlestars, because they will be predatory and serpents won't. Really, there is absolutely no way to make this generalization at all.
The green brittle is a known predator in the wild. Others may or may not be, we just don't know. And that behavior may be totally different in a tank. There are no guarantees. It is an individual personality issue.
Any other brittlestar or serpentstar is a good choice, however, when adding any animal to your tank, you need to accept that it may eat something. They must also be spot fed, and not allowed simply to scavenge.
I recommend you let your tank mature further before adding any type of echinoderm. Also, specific gravity should be 1.025-1.026. They are extremely intollerant of ph, salinity, alk, etc, fluctuations.
A long drip acclimation, at least 4 hours long, is recommended.
Other reef safe stars area available, however, your tank should be no younger than 6 months old. Tank conditions should be pristine. It should also have a lot of LR, at least 75-100lbs for best success. Reef safe stars feed only on LR and can not be spot fed. They commonly die of acclimation stress within a month, or at about 9-12 months of starvation. Only one should be kept in most cases, unless the tank is very large. The exception is Linckia multiflora, which does well in smaller tanks. Other Linckia and Fromia stars are much more delicate, and much more prone to starvation, regardless of how small they are.
They also require very long acclimations. There is a lot of info that you can search for. I can also send a link to you if you wish. You can contact me at ophiuroid@att.net
I also do not recommend a sand sifter star if you want a functional DSB, though others may disagree. It is another animal that often starves at about 9-12 months.
The green brittle is a known predator in the wild. Others may or may not be, we just don't know. And that behavior may be totally different in a tank. There are no guarantees. It is an individual personality issue.
Any other brittlestar or serpentstar is a good choice, however, when adding any animal to your tank, you need to accept that it may eat something. They must also be spot fed, and not allowed simply to scavenge.
I recommend you let your tank mature further before adding any type of echinoderm. Also, specific gravity should be 1.025-1.026. They are extremely intollerant of ph, salinity, alk, etc, fluctuations.
A long drip acclimation, at least 4 hours long, is recommended.
Other reef safe stars area available, however, your tank should be no younger than 6 months old. Tank conditions should be pristine. It should also have a lot of LR, at least 75-100lbs for best success. Reef safe stars feed only on LR and can not be spot fed. They commonly die of acclimation stress within a month, or at about 9-12 months of starvation. Only one should be kept in most cases, unless the tank is very large. The exception is Linckia multiflora, which does well in smaller tanks. Other Linckia and Fromia stars are much more delicate, and much more prone to starvation, regardless of how small they are.
They also require very long acclimations. There is a lot of info that you can search for. I can also send a link to you if you wish. You can contact me at ophiuroid@att.net
I also do not recommend a sand sifter star if you want a functional DSB, though others may disagree. It is another animal that often starves at about 9-12 months.