Someone talk me out of this (choco. chip star vs. mushrooms)
 

Ok, I've been tempted to try this for soooo long. Set up a 10gal or something simple, little aquaclear for filtration and a heater. Home for a chocolate chip star. Anytime I've had it up to the whazoo with a mushroom infested rock, I put the rock into my "cleaning tank" and let the star do its thing.

My only question is, what do I do with the star during the "slack" periods I don't have a rock to clean. Sounds like they'll eat pretty much anything they can get ahold of? So maybe just a few pieces of mysis or krill every now and again?

What's the pitfall here? Should I not do it?

It's just an idea. I know it sounds harsh but after 4 or 5 years and starting off with .. one .. single .. purple mushroom that thing has spawned thousands upon thousands of descendents. They kill any SPS they touch, so it's not like they're perfectly innocent. I don't mind them in small numbers it's just when I have wall-to-wall mushrooms and they kill off neighbouring corals that I spent money or traded to acquire (oh yeah .. they'll take out zoos too, BTW), that I start to dream of some way of keeping these buggers under control.

How about sending any unwanted shrooms my way? :biggrin:

I have a choc. chip star, and he loves to eat krill and squid! But, I think they will eat pretty much anything. :rolleyes:

Because I want to get into corals he'll have to make the move to the fuge, or maybe I'll set up my 25gal for him and my Bali Star. We'll see.

Maybe you could provide a service to those with a similar problem. I've never been all that great at growing mushrooms. Now, algae on the other hand...... :rolleyes:

Christy :)

You can send any "pest" mushrooms my way too! Mine don't seem to be expanding very much!

I'm happy to trade away mushrooms, but "caveat emptor" .. be aware that they can potentially grow into plaque proportions. Some people have had them under control for the most part, for some reason they multiply and spread like fungus for me though. This is only one particular type, I have about 4 or 5 different types of mushrooms and only this one type has ever proved to be a headache.

But anyhow. Consider it a standing offer that anyone who wants mushrooms need do no more than come over and harvest some, or trade me an equivalent rock, or whatever. Basically I don't want to suffer a net loss on the rock, i.e., if a rock leaves the tank I'd like to replace it with a similar sized one.

But my post was mostly me just fantasizing about a way to justify keeping a certain starfish notorious for not being very reef friendly, and seeing if there was still a reason to not try one even in this specialized scenario. Any thoughts on that one?

Tony, I say go for it. Maybe Leeanne still has hers and can ship it via Greyhound to you.

PM Leanne (Bulletsworld) as she was trying to get rid of one and still had it when we talked on Saturday.

Yeah my chocolate star is still up for grabs! All yours if you want. He's a munching machine. I even travel to Calgary every now and then.

I've got a C.C. Star livin' in a sump Tony. You're welcome to rent him... :rolleyes: . He can come live with you for a while or you can put your rock in my sump. Sump water depth is about 7".

My CC star I had for a long time never ate anything but sand. Then one day it decided to munch on my zoo's. Never touched the muchrooms though. It seemed to me it loved cleaning the sand and would make little piles of it. Then one day it just got more hungary and went for the zoo's.

Since were on the topic of stars... Anyone heard of a green brittle star munching on zenia's? I'm trying to find the culprit since the C.C star was in another tank at the time. Hmmm....

So is that something like Russia got Hungary and ate Turkey and Greece? :razz:

I had a green brittle star which cleaned my tank out of Xenia. It even dragged a small rock into a cave to finish off the ragged stub I saved at one point. Once the Xenia was gone it moved on to mushrooms and I punted it back to the lfs. :eek:

Well put Quinn... :lol: . I get hungary and go for the fridge. :rolleyes:

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Hey Anyone wanta a Green brittle star! Come on Quinn! Harvey! Hey you, looking at this post! :lol:

Green Brittle Star up for grabs! Well gotta get a truck and drive around with the bells ringing like an ice cream truck... "GET YOUR FREE STARS!" :lol:

0X: :rolleyes: :lol:

If you can't ditch, I can take him. Will have to decide if he can live in my nano when I get it. I want just one really interesting animal and he would probably do, provided he doesn't pollute the tank too much.

Leanne
If your green star wont bother my zoos,then I'll take him off your hands :mrgreen: let me know.
my internet is down untill tommorow(i'm at work now)give me a call later,should be home by 3pm.
457-1247

Jim

Uh, whoops? Brittle stars eat corals?

I just bought a rock with mushrooms and it came with 2 hitch hikers, a banded shrimp and what I think is a black brittle star. I haven't quite seen it, but legs come out of the rock and wave at me.
Should I panic?

Ivy

Quinn,

Don't think the green brittle star will fit in your nano. :lol:

Pulled the culprit star out of my main tank, running like a crazy women with this strange long & strong hairy legged green creature, fighting me down my hallway, as I was screaming to the backroom tank. :lol: I guess he grew since I got him a year ago. :rolleyes:


Yeah Jim I can't guarantee this star wont eat your zoo's. Although he did pass by my zoo’s to eat some of the Zenia’s. :lol:

Up to you though

What the heck,I feel lucky,I'll take him

Jim

Jim,

Your the lucky winner of a GREEN BRITTLE STAR! He's munchin green hairy long legged creature machine, all yours!

Calling you...but your line is busy, busy. Call me.. I PM'd you my #

Lee

Quinn, it won't work. I don't think they will get it, so best leave it alone. :rolleyes:

Tony it is baffling that you keep having problems with those Mutant Ninja Mushrooms. I have to admit that I have a couple of them, and they never yet have given problems. I cannot say that about my Mutant Red Mushrooms. They appear to belong to the same genus. If I don't keep an eagle eye on them, they too get carried away. For me it means every so often remove the LR, and scrape away. :eek: :rolleyes:

Jim, don't be so brave. They are known to be real trouble. :eek: