What starfish am I missing?

[livinlifeinBKK]

Not too experienced but my quick take:
Had a chocolate chip star for 2 years (which is obviously a NO) but only started soft corals 6-7 months ago -- no problems for 6 months then (as expected), zoa annihilation.

I'm looking to try a marble/tile star (some type of Fromia) but haven't yet.

Here's my zoa annihilation (in 1 day) thread, if bored:

CC Star and Zoas

*gave him to my LFS yesterday

Yeah chocolate chips aren't reef safe at all Fromias are but they're generally considered more difficult to care for...(you'll have to spot feed him to make sure he's getting enough food)

 

[AydenLincoln]

Yeah chocolate chips aren't reef safe at all Fromias are but they're generally considered more difficult to care for...(you'll have to spot feed him to make sure he's getting enough food)

And has superior water quality.

 

[Dburr1014]

Ok, it sounded like you were saying some of the ones in the list you made shouldn't be kept at all which is what I disagreed with (there are a lot of people who believe no starfish at all should be kept)

Not to be argumentative;
But some/most reefers shouldn't keep starfish, especially newbies. They just starve in the tanks. Some are very difficult to keep.
The easiest are the serpant stars. They are great for cuc.

 

[ScubaFish802]

- Aquilonastra sp. (it seems that these are often misidentified as Asterina)

These actually still fall within the family Asterinidae, so it is not technically wrong just not as specific as you could go either - a lot of corals are treated similarly (like zoas for instance)

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Not to be argumentative;
But some/most reefers shouldn't keep starfish, especially newbies. They just starve in the tanks. Some are very difficult to keep.
The easiest are the serpant stars. They are great for cuc.

OP is on her first starfish she's had for a couple months which is why I was questioning her writing an article as a newbie

 

[AydenLincoln]

OP is on her first starfish she's had for a couple months which is why I was questioning her writing an article as a newbie

I’m still going to write the article anyway but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be published on here and for me this is a research article not a personal experience article.

 

[Dburr1014]

OP is on her first starfish she's had for a couple months which is why I was questioning her writing an article as a newbie

Well, if she does the research and writes well, all the power to her.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Not to be argumentative;
But some/most reefers shouldn't keep starfish, especially newbies. They just starve in the tanks. Some are very difficult to keep.
The easiest are the serpant stars. They are great for cuc.

I'd say the decision to keep a starfish should be determined by the amount of real research (not only anecdotal)...I doubt the majority simply starve especially since they can be spot fed ( I'm sure many people don't spot feed them though and some do starve)

 

[Dburr1014]

I'd say the decision to keep a starfish should be determined by the amount of real research (not only anecdotal)...I doubt the majority simply starve especially since they can be spot fed ( I'm sure many people don't spot feed them though and some do starve)

This is what I mean. Most don't know to spot feed especially new people.
I am going out on a limb, new people and even old salts, see starfish in the store and say "I want that and bag it up" without doing the research.

EDIT: IMO

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

This is what I mean. Most don't know to spot feed especially new people.
I am going out on a limb, new people and even old salts, see starfish in the store and say "I want that and bag it up" without doing the research.

EDIT: IMO

I agree 100% with that...so many people simply assume they'll just magically find enough food to sustain themselves which isn't the case

 

[WheatToast]

These actually still fall within the family Asterinidae, so it is not technically wrong just not as specific as you could go either - a lot of corals are treated similarly (like zoas for instance)

From what I have read, Asterina and Aquilonastra are separate genuses in the family Asterinidae and the proper term to refer to both would be “Asterinids” or “Asterinid starfish.” Are people just referring to the whole family as “Asterina” somewhere?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Some aren’t meant to be and literally can’t be kept though is what I’m saying and compared to the wild starfish live much shorter lives anyway. For example a starfish at the bottom of the ocean or 20,000 feet down. You can’t keep that in a tank because there is no way you can recreate it’s natural environment and good luck finding someone willing to bring it back up.

Not disagreeing that these will probably never be kept by hobbyists, so this isn't super relevant to the topic at hand, but we currently have the tech to keep moderately deep sea (Bathypelagic - ~5,900ft) creatures with things like the Abyss Box* so it wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with the tech to keep super deep sea creatures at some point in the next decade or two.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyss_Box

These actually still fall within the family Asterinidae, so it is not technically wrong just not as specific as you could go either - a lot of corals are treated similarly (like zoas for instance)

Yeah, the only reason I personally like to specify Aquilonastra vs Asterina is because Asterina is actually a genus of Asterinidae on its own. We pretty much all know what is being referred to when the term Asterina is used though, so I don't particularly care when the term is used even though it's technically misleading.

This is what I mean. Most don't know to spot feed especially new people.
I am going out on a limb, new people and even old salts, see starfish in the store and say "I want that and bag it up" without doing the research.

EDIT: IMO

I do have to agree, most people don't know to spot feed starfish (in fact, a lot of people don't realize that their CUC needs fed too).

Now, to answer the original question of this thread (some of these may have been listed elsewhere in the thread, and I know I'm forgetting a few, but I can't remember which ones - also, a lot of these are coldwater stars):
-Blue/Colored Phataria Starfish (Phataria unifascialis)
-Burgundy Sea Star (Tamaria [?] sp.)
-Granulated/Doughboy Sea Star (Choriaster granulatus)
-Dalmation Sea Star (Linckia multifora* - technically, according to DNA studies, Linckia multifora and Linckia laevigata are considered ecophenotypes of the same species, Linckia multifora)
-Purple Linckia Star (called Tamaria stria - actually Linckia columbiae)
-Spotted Starfish (genus and species unlisted - possibly Echinaster sp. or Asterias sp., but I'm not certain)
-Pink Lace Starfish (Echinaster sp.)
-Black Linckia Starfish (genus and species unlisted - presumably Linckia sp.)
-Orange Starfish (Echinaster spinulosus)
-Spiny Sand Star (Luidia alternata)
-Gray Sand Star (Luidia clathrata)
-Pointed Sand Star (Astropecten duplicatus)
-African Starfish (Pentaceraster sp. or spp.)
-Red Biscuit/West African Biscuit Starfish (Anchitosia queenslandensis)
-Black Chip/Chocolate Chip Cushion Starfish (Nidorellia armata)
-Cortez Sea Star (Pentaceraster cumingi)
-Komodo Rainbow Sea Star (Gomophia gomophia)
-Burgundy Linckia Starfish (Linckia sp. or Echinaster sp.)
-Sand Sifting Starfish (Archaster typicus)
-Honeycomb/Cushion Starfish (Pentaceraster alveolatus)
-Crown of Thorns Sea Star (Acanthaster planci - this is actually sold in some places, I wouldn't recommend keeping it, but you could actually keep and breed these if you really wanted to if you lived in the right place; I'm not sure about the legality of keeping one here in the US)
-Hefferman's Starfish (Celerina heffernani)
-Striking Sea Star (Eureaster insignis)
-Egyptian Sea Star (Gomophia egyptica)
-Red Cushion/West India Sea Star (Oreaster reticulatus)
-Regular Sea Star (Pentaceraster regulus)
-Vermillion Sea Star (Pentagonaster dubeni)
-Mosaic Sea Star (Plectaster decanus)
-Horse Star (Hippasteria phrygiana)
-Northern Sea Star (Asterias vulgaris)
-Forbe's Sea Star (Asterias forbesi)
-Blood Star (Henricia leviuscula)
-Purple/Smooth Sunstar (Solaster endeca)
-Spiny Sunstar (Crossaster papposus)
-Brood/Slender Star (Lepasterias spp.)
-Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthodes)
-Ochre Star (Pisaster ochraceus)
-Short Spined Sea Star (Pisaster brevispinnis)
-Fragile Rainbow Star (Astrometis sertulifera)
-Giant-spined Star (Pisaster giganteus)
-Bat Star (Patiria miniata)
-Spiny Sand Star/Estrella de Arena (Astropecten armatus)

Edit: also, there are a few Echinaster and other commonly seen genus stars that I just skipped listing because there are a ton of them available.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Not disagreeing that these will probably never be kept by hobbyists, so this isn't super relevant to the topic at hand, but we currently have the tech to keep moderately deep sea (Bathypelagic - ~5,900ft) creatures with things like the Abyss Box* so it wouldn't surprise me if we ended up with the tech to keep super deep sea creatures at some point in the next decade or two.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyss_Box

Yeah, the only reason I personally like to specify Aquilonastra vs Asterina is because Asterina is actually a genus of Asterinidae on its own. We pretty much all know what is being referred to when the term Asterina is used though, so I don't particularly care when the term is used even though it's technically misleading.

I do have to agree, most people don't know to spot feed starfish (in fact, a lot of people don't realize that their CUC needs fed too).

Now, to answer the original question of this thread (some of these may have been listed elsewhere in the thread, and I know I'm forgetting a few, but I can't remember which ones - also, a lot of these are coldwater stars):
-Blue/Colored Phataria Starfish (Phataria unifascialis)
-Burgundy Sea Star (Tamaria [?] sp.)
-Granulated/Doughboy Sea Star (Choriaster granulatus)
-Dalmation Sea Star (Linckia multifora* - technically, according to DNA studies, Linckia multifora and Linckia laevigata are considered ecophenotypes of the same species, Linckia multifora)
-Purple Linckia Star (called Tamaria stria - actually Linckia columbiae)
-Spotted Starfish (genus and species unlisted - possibly Echinaster sp. or Asterias sp., but I'm not certain)
-Pink Lace Starfish (Echinaster sp.)
-Black Linckia Starfish (genus and species unlisted - presumably Linckia sp.)
-Orange Starfish (Echinaster spinulosus)
-Spiny Sand Star (Luidia alternata)
-Gray Sand Star (Luidia clathrata)
-Pointed Sand Star (Astropecten duplicatus)
-African Starfish (Pentaceraster sp. or spp.)
-Red Biscuit/West African Biscuit Starfish (Anchitosia queenslandensis)
-Black Chip/Chocolate Chip Cushion Starfish (Nidorellia armata)
-Cortez Sea Star (Pentaceraster cumingi)
-Komodo Rainbow Sea Star (Gomophia gomophia)
-Burgundy Linckia Starfish (Linckia sp. or Echinaster sp.)
-Sand Sifting Starfish (Archaster typicus)
-Honeycomb/Cushion Starfish (Pentaceraster alveolatus)
-Crown of Thorns Sea Star (Acanthaster planci - this is actually sold in some places, I wouldn't recommend keeping it, but you could actually keep and breed these if you really wanted to if you lived in the right place; I'm not sure about the legality of keeping one here in the US)
-Hefferman's Starfish (Celerina heffernani)
-Striking Sea Star (Eureaster insignis)
-Egyptian Sea Star (Gomophia egyptica)
-Red Cushion/West India Sea Star (Oreaster reticulatus)
-Regular Sea Star (Pentaceraster regulus)
-Vermillion Sea Star (Pentagonaster dubeni)
-Mosaic Sea Star (Plectaster decanus)
-Horse Star (Hippasteria phrygiana)
-Northern Sea Star (Asterias vulgaris)
-Forbe's Sea Star (Asterias forbesi)
-Blood Star (Henricia leviuscula)
-Purple/Smooth Sunstar (Solaster endeca)
-Spiny Sunstar (Crossaster papposus)
-Brood/Slender Star (Lepasterias spp.)
-Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthodes)
-Ochre Star (Pisaster ochraceus)
-Short Spined Sea Star (Pisaster brevispinnis)
-Fragile Rainbow Star (Astrometis sertulifera)
-Giant-spined Star (Pisaster giganteus)
-Bat Star (Patiria miniata)
-Spiny Sand Star/Estrella de Arena (Astropecten armatus)

Edit: also, there are a few Echinaster and other commonly seen genus stars that I just skipped listing because there are a ton of them available.

Thanks! I know some of these fall into the categories I listed which is why it’s not going to be separate or are so extremely rare and not for sale online. And umm where have you seen the crown of thorns starfish sold lol?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks! I know some of these fall into the categories I listed which is why it’s not going to be separate or are so extremely rare and not for sale online. And umm where have you seen the crown of thorns starfish sold lol?

Dejong Marine Life (a big name wholesaler in the Netherlands) carries them. They're not common, but they show up on occasion. Reef Central had one listed for sale in Ohio a few years ago too:

Crown of Thorns Starfish for Sale - Reef Central Online Community

Crown of Thorns Starfish for Sale Northern Ohio Reef Keepers

www.reefcentral.com

I know they've shown up a couple of times in other places too, but, again, they're not terribly common (at least not in the US).

 

[AydenLincoln]

Reef Central had one listed for sale in Ohio a few years ago too:

Crown of Thorns Starfish for Sale - Reef Central Online Community

Crown of Thorns Starfish for Sale Northern Ohio Reef Keepers

www.reefcentral.com

I know they've shown up a couple of times in other places too, but, again, they're not terribly common (at least not in the US).

So I did see this one but actually it was a very good April Fool’s Day joke lol! Look at the date and read the entire thread.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

So I did see this one but actually it was a very good April Fool’s Day joke lol! Look at the date and read the entire thread.

Lol - fail on my part there. Dejong does (or at least did) actually carry them though.

 

[davidcalgary29]

If you can keep any alive longer than 3 months you're doing better than me!

Okay, I want to hear some opinions about the pacific tile star. I couldn't keep a blue linckia (that, or it was eaten by my fire urchin), or an echinaster star, but these guys keep chugging along in my tanks. They were also the only survivors of a shipment that was delayed, and kept overnight in a truck without heat, in the middle of winter, resulting in arriving water temperature of 5C.

 

[EricR]

Okay, I want to hear some opinions about the pacific tile star. I couldn't keep a blue linckia (that, or it was eaten by my fire urchin), or an echinaster star, but these guys keep chugging along in my tanks. They were also the only survivors of a shipment that was delayed, and kept overnight in a truck without heat, in the middle of winter, resulting in arriving water temperature of 5C.

Personally waiting and hoping for one (or any similar-looking Fromia) to show up at my LFS to buy -- no experience with these but expect it to be fine in my tank based on research and my experience level and tank stability,,, but who knows

 

[AydenLincoln]

Okay, I want to hear some opinions about the pacific tile star. I couldn't keep a blue linckia (that, or it was eaten by my fire urchin), or an echinaster star, but these guys keep chugging along in my tanks. They were also the only survivors of a shipment that was delayed, and kept overnight in a truck without heat, in the middle of winter, resulting in arriving water temperature of 5C.

Will be covered in fromia but so I’m not writing a dissertation probably not extremely extensively lol.

 

[Goaway]

From what I have read, Asterina and Aquilonastra are separate genuses in the family Asterinidae and the proper term to refer to both would be “Asterinids” or “Asterinid starfish.” Are people just referring to the whole family as “Asterina” somewhere?

This article does not help. And why I often hate articles. Never been updated from what I know.

Asterina starfish, an introduction to this common reef aquarium critter | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Have you ever wondered what that itsy bitsy starfish is doing in your tank? The sneaky starfish probably hitchhiked its way in on some live rock or new coral, but now there are dozens of small grayish…

reefbuilders.com

"The Asterina starfish is seen as more of an aquarium pest than a pet, and although most species of Asterina can coexist in your tank without killing your corals, it can be difficult to tell which species of Asterina you’ve inherited.