wtb starfish (very small)

cbort

cbort

Member
my lfs has some tiny red starfish like about 1 inch big. Very small. She has them listed as red starfish. but the problem is they are selling for about 25 bucks. Never had one before and don't want to potentionally waste that kinda money on just one small star fish.
If anyone has some small starfish they want to sell let me know. If they are the red ones i am talking about that would be awesome, but they don't have to be! Have a small nano reef 20 gallon with about 15 lbs live rock looking great so far with 2 small gobie. Let me know thanks
Curtis:jumping:
 
loopy

loopy

Member
Do you know how to ship them. I know of one lfs...it's two hours from here, but I would gladly go cuz it's a great store...they have tiny baby stars and they GIVE them away. They have tons. If I can get the trip in and you know how to ship them, I'll get you some. I have a heath issue so I won't know for a couple weeks. I cannot drive right now. Let me know on the shipping thing.
 
cbort

cbort

Member
do you know what they look like or any websites that may have a picture of them. The only thing i can think of to ship them is to find a small styrofoam box container and pack it with peanuts and a heat pack. How many could ya get me? The box shouldn't weigh but maybe a lb or two, so the shipping hopefully wouldn't be much. Email me with a price on the stars, and i will look up some shipping prices. Keep me posted!! Thanks
Curtis:jumping:
 
loopy

loopy

Member
Curtis, I'll call them tomorrow and ask them if they know what I mean by red star fish.....he'll probably know. BUT...I had a Ghost Mantid shipped in a tiny container with styrofoam and a heat pack and it was 18 bucks...........yikes. I'll post again when I call them, if I forget, REMIND ME!!!!!!!!!
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
FWIW, one of those little red stars is unlikely to survive in a nano so save the $$...multiple specimens is just speeding up their death by starvation. The little red reef safe stars are Fromia milleporella, and like Linckia, they just aren't a good choice for that tank size. The little baby stars are most likely Asterina and are common hitch hikers....certainly wouldn't drive that far for them alone. They do not get larger than a dime or so but will reproduce in the tanks easily. You might find some closer to home from a fellow hobbyist.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I have some colorful Asterina Starfish that should work out in your nano.
Ophiura - Would a population of Asterina be self regulating? In other words will they stop reproducing once food becomes scarce?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I would assume so.....but would be happy to take funds to study it further :) Do you have thoughts on it based on what you see?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
What kind of results can I get for $1.76?
These guys are in the lagoon and have a ways to go before they can run out of food (I think).
'nother question

What are the chances that these little echinoderms are eating algae? I can't tell if they show up where there's no hair algae or if they are responsible for removing little trails of hair algae.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Are you selling the little star fish, and would they survive in my tank. 55 gal, with live rock. If you are, i would be interested in one or two in a month or two
:cheer: :cheer:
My lfs dosent give anything away. I bought a few small pieces of live rock today, and he even took the snail off it.
 
cbort

cbort

Member
that picture doesn't look anything like the ones int the store, also, these ones are about the size of a quarter. She has them 4-5 in a 20 gallon tank. But since they are so expensive, they are hardly ever bought. They seem to be doing very well in her 20 gallon tanks for months at a time usually with more than 3-5 in a tank at once. Not seeing the problem with these guys, says they don't grow any bigger, and i don't have any snail besides the hitch hikers that are no bigger than a hearingaid battery, so i don't think they would have anyproblem running out of food.
 
tiggerguy

tiggerguy

Member
are you thinking of a red serpent star buy any chance.. the are ver small whell little red body kinda looks like red hair on it..
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member

Originally posted by cbort
Not seeing the problem with these guys, says they don't grow any bigger, and i don't have any snail besides the hitch hikers that are no bigger than a hearingaid battery, so i don't think they would have anyproblem running out of food.
No, I don't believe that these are Asterina. As mentioned, they are most likely Fromia milleporella which is quite small indeed. Interestingly enough, in the picture I attach here and in many others I have seen, they are all disintegrating - dying of starvation or acclimation shock in all likelihood. The fact that she keeps them for months at a time is meaningless - they starve in about 6-12 months. This is how long it takes a healthy seastar caught in the wild to starve. They DO NOT eat algae (like hair or other nuisance algae- otherwise EVERYONE could keep them and Linckia too), and they DO NOT eat detritus. I hear very little long term success with these animals. FWIW, I am also not trying to take you $25...so maybe you should think about who is giving the advice. :) It is in the salespersons best interest to say they are easy to keep and fine for your tank (in any numbers) - livestock that doesn't sell is a burden. I am also sure any animal showing signs of trouble is quickly removed.
Bang Guy is showing a picture of what I believe Loopy may be referring too - the common Asterina hitch hiker. Far more suitable for any tank, IMO, than a Fromia star. I really can only strongly discourage you from trying to keep a Fromia star. At the very least, the tank should be pristine, 6 months old minimum, with specific gravity at 1.025-1.026.
 
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