Please ID

[sean rand]

Hello!
I got these 2 starfish from my LFS any idea what they r or if they r reef safe?

 

[DSC reef]

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[sean rand]

Looks like a yellow/green knob starfish (protoreaster sp) not reef safe. I'd do a little research before buying starfish to save a headache down the road. I'd return them if possible.

I have a fish only system so i dont care but i have tonz of friends who have and they asked me if its reef safe

 

[DSC reef]

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[cristata.reef]

Both are Pentaceraster stars, not quite reef-safe and can grow quite large. Species ID is tricky with these as the genus is currently under scientific review and will likely undergo revision since we are beginning to realize that physical traits are relatively useless when it comes to IDing them