What and How do you feed a Choc. Chip star?

[pensky]

What do you feed a Choc. Chip star? What are some good techniques for feeding this little guy?

 

[jon321]

i usually either pluck it off the glass and set it on the sand ontop of a piece of food, or set some next to it or tuck it under a leg while its on the sand. I feed krill and silverside a few times a week.
Jon

 

[debbie]

I feed mine krill. When it is on the sand I just use my stick and carefully push the krill near it, quickly it moves over and starts eating the krill. I have read that if they are on the glass you should not pull them off as it can hurt their sucker pads. But if they have one arm bent over you can carefully poke the food in there and they will start eating.
pensky, you do know these stars are not reef safe and will eat all your soft corals?
I feed mine 2 times a weeks and keep the best water quality possible for it. They are neat to have and so far I am really enjoying mine........ :cheer:

 

[pensky]

yeah I don't have any corals right now, but when I get some I will trade him out at the LFS. I've done a search on krill and is it a frozen food? I have been useing frozen brine shrimp but when I put a frozen piece in water and use a turkey baster to feed him. The shrimp just float away befor he can grab it. I have even tryed puting a semi soild peice on his leg that is bent backwards on the surface of the water, but he will just drip his legs down in the water and wash it right off. The only time he has been on the sand was when I first put him in the tank and he has been on the glass for 3 months now. I know he must be hungry

 

[debbie]

Ophiura can you help here?
I don't know what else to say, I am very new to seastars myself. Ophiura can give you some very much needed help here. Hopefully you will get a reply soon.
I use the frozen krill from the LFS and mine eats it up like crazy.
I know that you will need to post these things for Ophiura:
How old is the tank?
What are you water specs?

 

[jojogeno]

I actually feed mine pellets.... once and a a while krill but mainly pellets. Watch out for these stars, mine ate my anemone and I will trade in if I ever buy another

 

[jon321]

i think the problem is the brine shrimp are small and as it melts they flaot away, the star eats very slowly. the krill are basically a giant brine shrimp mabe 1/2" long, that way the small pieces dont flaot off before it can eat them.
mine rarely goes on the glass..mostly sticks to the lr and sand. that is interesting, oh well
Jon

 

[debbie]

pensky do you have any frozen krill? What about shrimp pellets? If you have either of these try them. Is your star still on the glass?

 

[vanos]

I think chocolate stars eat algae too. But sometimes I feed it freeze dried krill and I stick it under the starfish. I may try silversides. I also have a fancy tiger striped sea star which I've had for over 6 months. But I haven't seen him in almost 2 months. He hides all of the time and when I do see it I feed it a piece of freeze dried krill and he will pick it up with his tentacles and eat it. I hope it's still alive.

 

[pensky]

I don't have any other food but the brine shimp, I will get some krill ASAP. On a good note i was able to get him to eat a little bit of shimp today :cheer:
just wondering if it is uncommon for this star to be on the glass all the time. Like I said he never gets off the glass unless I knock him off. It has be 3 to 4 months now and still on the glass. :thinking:

 

[darth tang]

Ok, first off, throw out the brine shrimp. This is a pointless food source for any marine animal as it has no nutritional value. You can feed it occassionally but soak it in zoecon for twenty minute before you do. This will add vitamins to the food and make it atleast acceptable. But I have never seen anyone (that understands marine aquaria) recommend this as a main food source. If your LFS store told you to feed this to your starfish I would stop going there.
I feed my starfish clams and shrimp. I buy frozen from the supermarket and thaw them in water. Then I place it next to the starfish arm and wait for it to grab it. Just nudge it under them a bit and they will take it.

 

[vanos]

I fed my chocolate chip star last night a silverside and it was gone this morning. I lifted one of the tentacles and put the silverside under the star.

 

[nluchau]

I know when my Choco Star is hungy as he will climb up the glass and have his tentacles open on the surface and I will place a shrimp pellet on his tentacle and he will eat it up.
Cool huh

 

[lionfish99]

Is your star missing a leg? It looks like it from the pic

 

[f1shman]

I've had my chocolate star for over a year in my 75 gallon fish-only aquarium and I don't feeed him anything lol, I'm guessing he finds enough in the sandbed.

 

[debbie]

Glad to see that many of you have stars. My chocolate chip star was at the top of the tank when I just got home a bit ago. I gave him a shrimp pellet and he is presently sliding down the glass but has that pellet well in him mouth. I never new that something so simple as a star could be so entertaining to watch........ :happy:

 

[pensky]

Thanks to everyone :joy: :joy: I bought some frozen krill from the LFS and he loves it. I Feed him one whole shrimp and I was amazed that he was able to eat it.

as for the leg missing no this was a pic I took once when he was on the ground and his leg was bent backwards.

 

[theop]

As for spending its life on the glass, my CC star does this too. I would estimate he is on the glass 99% of the time. Since upgrading lights, he spends most days behind the overflow, then roams around when the lights go out. He'll come to the top and invert his body at the water line like described above and I'll feed him then.

 

[maeistero]

Originally Posted by F1shMan
I've had my chocolate star for over a year in my 75 gallon fish-only aquarium and I don't feeed him anything lol, I'm guessing he finds enough in the sandbed.

agreed, i never purposely feed my cc either. it's grown a bit and moves around the lr scavenging. seems to be alright as it moves alot and has good color. guess i'm going to check out my water parameters tomorrow, see if i'm missing something here. :thinking: