Which StarFish Compatable?

[richl]

I have a 125 gal FOWLR up for just a few months. The inhabitants are a Heniochus bannerfish, Cinnamon Clown, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 coral banded shrimp, a few emerald crabs, a few small red-leg hermits and about 15 snails. My water parameters are perfect except Nitrate which runs 40-80. The LFS suggest starfish to bring the nitrates down by eating detritus. I'm thinking Brittle StarFish or Sandsifting StarFish. Any issues with compatability? Can I get more than one? Other suggestions? Thanks. Other ways to reduce nitrates?

 

[ophiura]

Your LFS is wrong, IMO.
A starfish will not bring down nitrates.
A sand sifting star is eating the things that DO eat detritus and will likely starve in about a year.
A brittlestar is a possibility for the tank but logically...it eats food, it produces waste. This is a closed system. Just because something eats extra food means it poops it out in another form. If you have too much detritus and such, leading to nitrate issues, more animals does not solve that.
What are your other parameters? What is perfect for fish can be fatal for seastars.
How often do you do water changes?
What do you feed and how often?
What filtration do you have and how often do you clean it?
Do you have a skimmer? A refugium?
Nitrate issues are complex and the only sure thing, IMO, is that they are not typically solved by adding more animals.

 

[richl]

I don't have a skimmer or a refugium. My filter is a Fluval FX5 canister. I rinsed the filter media and changed the carbon bags about 3 weeks ago at which time I did a 20% water change. I did a 10% change one week ago. I try to do 10% every two weeks. I have never tried to vacuum because I have live sand and live rock. Should I try that? I only have 2 fish so far, so I usually feed a 1/2 cube frozen brine shrimp with spirulina twice a day. Sometimes I add a 2" x 3" sheet of dried green algae or a couple of Omega One "veggie rounds" which the bannefish seems to like. They eat very enthusiatically, so I don't think they are overfed. There are two clams which I haven't seen since the day I added them. Could they be dead and causing this or would that have resulted in ammonia or nitrite spikes? I think a few smails may be dead as well but I have not removed them. Could that cause issues? Thanks

 

[ophiura]

You are overfeeding I think, and sad to say not the best food (in particular the brine shrimp which just isn't all that great a food). Don't get me wrong, fish often LOVE it but it isn't the most nutritional long term diet.
A general rule of thumb is that a fish's stomach is about the size of its eye. They will eat far more than they need, much like an all you can eat buffet. If you have LR, then they have opportunity to graze which is their primary food source overall. I would absolutely cut back the feedings, and consider buying a food that is a better all around food instead of the spirulina and brine. But it is a pretty safe bet to say that nearly all hobbyists, including me, overfeed.
Anything dead in the tank can cause issues. Do you have ammonia problems?
Ideally in a salt tank you should aim for 30% water change a month. So that should be bumped up, IMO. You do not need to siphon sand but if you see there is detritus, try and get that. Accumulated detritus is an indication of overfeeding and poor circulation in the tank (dead spots). What sort of power heads do you have?
Any filter floss or sponges in the Fluval need to be rinsed very regularly, IMO, ideally weekly. The biomedia should be regularly rinsed in tank water so as not to kill off the bacteria.
What is your specific gravity, and how did you acclimate the snails (if they died shortly after being added).
Do you put any additives in the tank?

 

[richl]

I had not been cleaning the filter nearly as often as you suggest, so I'll get on a more frequent schedule right away. How often should I change the (3) activated charcoal bags? The bottle says they should last about 2 months and I just replaced them early in December. Is it ok to just rinse them in tank water in between replacements? In addition to the Fluval output, I have 2 other powerheads, one of which is designed for large volume and one that really belongs on a 75 gal. I'll add one more good one. My SG is 1.025 on a hydrometer but I have a refractomer on order and would like to bring it down to 1.023. I don't put any additives in my water, but I have a new RO unit and there's no nitrate in the water before it goes into the tank. Whenever I plan a partial water change, I put the RO water and salt in 5 gal buckets with an airstone & heater for 2 days. I used the drip method (3 hrs) on the snails when I got them and most are still alive. I just think there may be afew dead ones, so I'll check and remove any that are dead. So waht food would you recommend? I have one moderate size (>3") Henoichus bannerfish in the DT and one small (2") one in the QT. I really like them and might want 3-5 in total. They really go after the frozen brine/spirulina. I'll appreciate any suggestions you have. Thanks