Starfish care

[fancy_fish101]

I’ve always wanted a starfish but i don’t want to get one and it dies. Anyone have any advice on how to care for one for years?
Any recommendations for a reef safe one to.

 

[mues]

my brittles and serpent stars have done well. other types are much harder to keep.

P.S. hi neighbor, go talk to Max at BioReef. Very knowledgeable and will get you in the right direction

 

[JNalley]

What size tank? How old is it? What's your bioload? How deep is your sandbed?

I agree with Mues here, the easiest/most likely stars to keep are brittle stars or serpent stars. You may also be able to sustain a sand-sifting starfish under the right conditions. The rest of the stars in the hobby are very hard to keep and generally last less than a year in most tanks. Very few people are successful in keeping them multiple years, though, it does happen.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I’ve always wanted a starfish but i don’t want to get one and it dies. Anyone have any advice on how to care for one for years?
Any recommendations for a reef safe one to.

There are true starfish (Asteroids) and there are brittle/serpent starfish (Ophiuroids) - brittle/serpent starfish do well in our tanks, true starfish don't.

As a general rule with true starfish, the safer the starfish, the more likely it is to die quickly.

Honestly, at this point, the only true, relatively reef-safe, tropical starfish in the hobby that I can recommend someone keep if they really want a true sea star are Aquilonastra stars (known in the hobby as Asterina stars).

Aside from Aquilonastra stars, the stars in the hobby either aren't reef-safe, will starve to death (typically within ~8-13 months), or both. So, unless you want Aquilonastra stars, I'd really stick with brittle/serpent stars.

 

[eliaslikesfish]

There are true starfish (Asteroids) and there are brittle/serpent starfish (Ophiuroids) - brittle/serpent starfish do well in our tanks, true starfish don't.

As a general rule with true starfish, the safer the starfish, the more likely it is to die quickly.

Honestly, at this point, the only true, relatively reef-safe, tropical starfish in the hobby that I can recommend someone keep if they really want a true sea star are Aquilonastra stars (known in the hobby as Asterina stars).

Aside from Aquilonastra stars, the stars in the hobby either aren't reef-safe, will starve to death (typically within ~8-13 months), or both. So, unless you want Aquilonastra stars, I'd really stick with brittle/serpent stars.

I want some. How many should I add? I have heard they multiply alarmingly fast.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I want some. How many should I add? I have heard they multiply alarmingly fast.

Yeah, they're known for reproducing fast enough to be considered pests - most places I've seen selling them offer 10-20 minimum per purchase; I'd guess (but don't know for sure) that 15-20 would be enough to get a good population going within a few weeks.

 

[fancy_fish101]

my brittles and serpent stars have done well. other types are much harder to keep.

P.S. hi neighbor, go talk to Max at BioReef. Very knowledgeable and will get you in the right direction

Omg, i love max. Im going to be working there this summer lol. My go to store. I like a second opinion

 

[fancy_fish101]

What size tank? How old is it? What's your bioload? How deep is your sandbed?

I agree with Mues here, the easiest/most likely stars to keep are brittle stars or serpent stars. You may also be able to sustain a sand-sifting starfish under the right conditions. The rest of the stars in the hobby are very hard to keep and generally last less than a year in most tanks. Very few people are successful in keeping them multiple years, though, it does happen.

75 gallon, 11 months, bio load i would say medium but i am adding more fish so probably eventually be high bio-load. Sand bed is 2-3 inch’s. Yeh the star fish i want are the most difficult ofc.

 

[Nano_Man]

Most star fish don’t do well in captivity

This type are good cuc they hide until night time

 

[mues]

Omg, i love max. Im going to be working there this summer lol. My go to store. I like a second opinion

That will be a cool experience. I've been using BioReef for close to 15 years now, before they were named BioReef. Max knows his stuff

 

[HorribleParameters]

Definitely check out a Harlequin Serpent Starfish. It’s my favorite invert in my tank. It hangs out under rocks and wiggles his arms around looking for food during feeding time. Super unique black and white contrast to our normally bright color fish and coral.

Also I have a sand sifting star, but not always recommended unless you’ve got a mature sandbed, with plenty of real estate for the star to graze and motor around. Keeps the sand much cleaner than before I had it. If there’s not plenty for him to eat, he’ll starve.

 

[fancy_fish101]

That will be a cool experience. I've been using BioReef for close to 15 years now, before they were named BioReef. Max knows his stuff

For sure. I got 2 and half year experience now. Starting a acro tank this year. Slowly learning.