What do they eat?

[killafins]

I bought a chocalate chip starfish and am quite curious how to feed the guy besides algae. I mean, I recentrly heard that they are meaty eaters but how do you feed them meat?

 

[ophiura]

If you just put something next to the tip of their arm, they should crawl over it. Rarely would you have to physically put the star on top of it, but you can (just keep that to a minimum though). Anything meaty will do, krill, squid, silversides, shrimp pellets and even algae wafers. FWIW, they will consume some algal films, but in the wild they eat more meat...whether they prey on it, or eat something that is already dead. They will do whatever is the easiest meal.
If the tank is full of larger, messier fish, then you may not need to feed the CC. However, I always prefer that this be done regardless.

 

[bang guy]

Ophiura,
I'm so glad we have you on this board. So few people know anything about Stars.
Thank you,
Guy

 

[killafins]

so you say shrimp pellets??? hmmm, thanks

 

[goldrush]

I've always thought chocolate chip stars are NOT reef safe.Not true?

 

[killafins]

they are reef safe

 

[ophiura]

They are definitely not reef safe, and can/will eat snails, clams, scallops, sponges and various anemones/corals should they get hungry enough. I wouldn't have one in a reef tank, and if it was there, I would keep if very well fed and keep my fingers crossed.

 

[jerseysaltwater]

I have been feeding my CCS phytoplankton - 1/4 tsp dissolved in a liter of tankwater and then poured back in, as i read it was a "filter feeder". He makes it hard to feed him anything else as he resides at the top of my tank, in the airstream from my airstone, between the two outlet jets of my tetra 150. Any ideas of how to either get him to move, or to feed him something besides the dissolved phytoplankton? he is in a 26 gal tank with two percs and a 4 stripe damsel. Thank you for any help you can give - Eddie.

 

[tlk]

Originally posted by ophiura
They are definitely not reef safe, and can/will eat snails, clams, scallops, sponges and various anemones/corals should they get hungry enough. I wouldn't have one in a reef tank, and if it was there, I would keep if very well fed and keep my fingers crossed.
I don't own a CC, but from what I have read and heard, I agree that they are NOT reef safe critters.

 

[ophiura]

Originally posted by JerseySaltwater
I have been feeding my CCS phytoplankton - 1/4 tsp dissolved in a liter of tankwater and then poured back in, as i read it was a "filter feeder". He makes it hard to feed him anything else as he resides at the top of my tank, in the airstream from my airstone, between the two outlet jets of my tetra 150. Any ideas of how to either get him to move, or to feed him something besides the dissolved phytoplankton? he is in a 26 gal tank with two percs and a 4 stripe damsel. Thank you for any help you can give - Eddie.
It definitely is not a filter feeder!!! It will "graze" on LR for various critters, but needs something meatier as well. Bits of shrimp, silversides, etc..but phytoplankton does nothing for it. Can I ask where you read it was a filter feeder?

 

[cb]

I have a cc starfish and I feed it a couple times a week. I feed it frozen krill and so far I have been lucky and it has not bothered anything else. I use to have horseshoe crab and it ate it but I don't know if the crab died first or the CC caught it.