Your Experiences With Starfish ?

[Kevinmc]

I am looking for experience that members have had with different starfish. Are there starfish that do not pose a threat to softies, or coals and that will not eat your live stock.

 

I am just asking the question because, as I was reading and still finding conflicting information. (scratch)

 

I would like to plan for one in the months ahead for my 90 GAL. , but I thought that "live and learn speaks volumes over assuming that one is all knowing. So if you have had a starfish and is "reef Safe" (scratch) then please post your information.

 

Thanks

[defigart]

"Bumpy is Bad" is a good rule of thumb. Stars such as Choclate Chips, and similar, like to eat corals. Smooth stars such as Linkia's generally are safe.

[dsoz]

I have stayed away from linkas because I have heard that they starve to death. 15 years ago when I first had a reef tank, I know I killed a couple of blue linkas in my tank. I do not know the cause of death.

 

This time around I had a sand sifting star. I figured in a 75g with a thriving sand-bed it would be ok. Well, it quickly ate everything that I had in the sand bed, including the sand-bed clams that I bought from IPSF.com (expensive little buggers). It also either ate, or out-competed the small micro-brittlestars that I had. I used to have dozens of them, now I cannot find any. Then the sand sifting star also slowly starved to death... Not a fun experience watching it slowly disintegrate a little at a time...

 

The one star that I have had success with is the asterina star. I have had at least two in my tank for the last year. Every now and then one of them shows up, and I watch it for a couple of days while it is visible, then it hides again for another couple of weeks.

 

For me, no more stars in my tank, at least not ones that I must buy.

 

dsoz

[Nyles]

I have been very successful with my linkias, with bad nitrates and all, you just need lots of roaming space for them (over 100 gallons and lots or LR) I also have had good luck with serpent stars but sometimes you need to direct feed if you run a tight ship, sifting stars I have had bad luck and chocolates are not reef safe but I have kept them for feeders for my Harlequin Shrimp, My worst experience with a star was a brittle star, never again, it predated like a green star and ate some fish and ironically ate the very shrimp that predated on it the Harlequin Shrimp.

 

I would stick with linkia that are not blue, they ship better and are reef safe, you will pay out the wazzu for them but they will live a long time.