Any SEA STARgazers out there?

Sleeping Giant · May 22, 2023

stars are neat

livinlifeinBKK · May 22, 2023

Tile stars and Linckias can't obtain proper nutrition to sustain them with only the kind of detritus and regular film algae found in most aquariums.

Glenner’sreef · May 22, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
A really healthy star can actually get to the food and position himself to protect it from being stolen pretty quick believe it or not. You just place it beside them in that case. However, if you haven't fed one anything for 3 months and the other for 6 months they'll probably be too slow so start out by placing them in an isolation box to eat and when they are finished and let go of the food just take them back out.

Thanks totally appreciate the info! Lfs should really give people a heads up. For the sake of the Star fish at least. Again thanks.

livinlifeinBKK · May 22, 2023

Glenner’sreef said:
Thanks totally appreciate the info! Lfs should really give people a heads up. For the sake of the Star fish at least. Again thanks.

Np! Glad i could help! I agree...the LFS should give a lot more information to people regarding their purchases. Honestly, i have a feeling a lot of your typical employees in those shops know rather little about the biology and ecology of the inverts they sell.

Gumbies R Us · May 23, 2023

Glenner’sreef said:

I would crowd around that tank too!

Glenner’sreef · May 23, 2023

Gumbies R Us said:
I would crowd around that tank too!

Thanks bud! You guys are welcome anytime.

livinlifeinBKK · May 23, 2023

Glenner’sreef said:
Thanks bud! You guys are welcome anytime.

So what will you try to feed first? You're probably going to have to try a few foods before you find one they'll accept.

Glenner’sreef · May 23, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
So what will you try to feed first? You're probably going to have to try a few foods before you find one they'll accept.

Just got home from Walmart. Picked up a 9” plexiglass box. Will drill it for suction cups and mount it inside the tank and begin feeding. On hand I have Mysis, Brine Shrimp and fresh water mysis. We’ll see what happens.

livinlifeinBKK · May 23, 2023

Glenner’sreef said:
Just got home from Walmart. Picked up a 9” plexiglass box. Will drill it for suction cups and mount it inside the tank and begin feeding. On hand I have Mysis, Brine Shrimp and fresh water mysis. We’ll see what happens.

Ok good luck...i have a feeling they'd probably respond better to fresh seafood though but it never hurt to try other stuff like that

Glenner’sreef · May 23, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
Ok good luck...i have a feeling they'd probably respond better to fresh seafood though but it never hurt to try other stuff like that

“

Dinner is served”

dthom · May 23, 2023

Did you notice any feeding?

Glenner’sreef · May 23, 2023

dthom said:
Did you notice any feeding?

Not really. But I didn’t count all the pieces either?

Fishfreak2009 · May 23, 2023

My current 2! Had them for a couple months. Currently in a 75 and will be moving into a 180 within the next couple months. Had my old set for a few years before selling the tank, never had an issue as long as I started with initially healthy and properly handled stars not damaged from shipping.

Here are a few pics of my Fromia and Linckia. I target feed them once weekly or so with meaty foods, and they regularly graze on the algae and sponges in the rockwork and on the glass.

formallydehyde · May 23, 2023

Linckia Starfish....they do eat (I guess) - Reef Central Online Community

Linckia Starfish....they do eat (I guess) Reef Discussion

www.reefcentral.com

I found this old reefcentral thread where people saw some types of Linckia (?) stars eating live "asterina"(whatever their proper name is) starfish, if that's useful to anyone.

707Nick · May 23, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
@Glenner’sreef feel free to DM me or ask anything here. I love discussing stars, whatever the question may be!

Hi there, is it a good rule of thumb that if the star has points like a chocolate chip star that they are not generally reef safe? That biscuit star is really pretty. Can you name up a few of the most beautiful starfish that are reef safe? Do you have a place or website In particular that you would order quality starfish from? Thank you in advance and happy reefing.

Fishfreak2009 · May 23, 2023

Just saying, the thread title originally misled me. I was hoping to see pics of a Stargazer in someone's tank...

Pic from Google

livinlifeinBKK · May 24, 2023

707Nick said:
Hi there, is it a good rule of thumb that if the star has points like a chocolate chip star that they are not generally reef safe? That biscuit star is really pretty. Can you name up a few of the most beautiful starfish that are reef safe? Do you have a place or website In particular that you would order quality starfish from? Thank you in advance and happy reefing.

While it is a general rule of thumb that most stars with a "spikey" appearance aren't reef safe, it really comes down to the species (there are approximately 2,000 species). Biscuit stars like you see in the picture above are reef safe, however, and actually do feed on algae. There aren't many colorful stars that are easy to maintain for long periods of time due to their food requirements. In their natural environment they feed on biofilm. While every tank does have biofilm, it varies greatly in consistency and it's currently unknown what it is the stars are actually consuming in the biofilm for nutrition so the concern isn't usually finding a reef safe star but finding one that can be maintained without starving within several months. If you are willing to put in the work to feed them regularly though it's my belief from experience that they can be maintained for much longer even in smaller tanks. There are people who have successfully kept stars such as Linckias and Fromias for years in very large tanks without supplemental feedings and although I don't want to attribute their success to only luck, many people have also tried and failed to successfully maintain them in large tanks (likely due to starvation). If you're happy with brittle or serpent stars I'd recommend them since their feeding requirements are much easier to meet.
I don't have a primary source i can recommend due to my location but would recommend that you ask how long the store has had the star you want and aim to buy one that recently arrived since it will likely be healthier.
Lastly, I would HIGHLY recommend researching scientific information regarding the particular species you want before buying since a lot of shops will claim many species simply eat detritus and algae which isn't usually the case.