Starfish.

prosnow · #1 03-01-2006, 01:47 PM

Are there any starfish out there that would but suitable for a 15 gallon nano tank? My best friend is setting up a big 400+ gallon tank and I know he will adopt anything that outgrow's my nano.

mr_alberta · #2 03-01-2006, 02:01 PM

The only one that might work for you is a brittle star, but those aren't the prettiest things...plus in a small tank, it'll go after everything (cleaning crew and fish).

There are a lot of other stars out there (linkia, fromia, sand sifter, etc) but no one really knows the diet of these stars and, as a result, very few have long term success with these animals.

prosnow · #3 03-01-2006, 02:06 PM

hmmm...well...i was hoping someone would say go for a linkia, but i didnt know that they were super hard to keep...anymore advice anyone?

muck · #4 03-01-2006, 02:27 PM

Definately stay away from a linkia in a tank that small.
If you really want to try a star I would only go with a Fromia milleporella.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...cfm?pCatId=578

I had 2 of them in my 40 for quite awhile and they were doing great until I treated my tank with interceptor (for red bugs). I didn't realize they would be affected as in none of the research I had done they were never mentioned as inverts being affected by the treatment.

Aquaholic · #5 03-01-2006, 03:22 PM

I have a linkia in my 45 i got him when my tank was fairly fresh, and he faired very well, I don't know what all the hub ub is about with those things.

Just my opinion but i think a linkia would do well.

OCDP · #6 03-01-2006, 03:26 PM

I say skip the Fromia... I have heard they are pretty hard to keep.

I have in my 20g a regular ol' orange starfish. Had him for a while now... everything seems to be okay.

*edit* Aquaholic, read up on linkia's... I think they are the starfish most recommended to stay away from. I say definitely skip the linkia , in any home aquarium IMO, but the same could go for all starfish. It just happens that linkias seem to have the lowest survival rate, requiring TONS of Live Rock and surface area... and even then; their diet is still unknown.

Delphinus · #7 03-01-2006, 04:10 PM

It's unfortunate but most stars, any of the non-predatory ones, are a real mystery as to what is their real diet. Some may adapt, but some (if not most) will not and thus won't live out full lives in captivity. So usually the advice is something safe and along the lines of recommending a large tank with a large amount of live rock, but it's really all about "hedging your bets" -- i.e., hoping that there will be enough diversity that whatever it is that they're after is there in sustainable numbers.

For the most part, stars are just poor survivors. Some do make it but they seem to be a minority.

Aquaholic · #8 03-01-2006, 10:49 PM

In responce to read up on them, here is some of the info i have obtained.

TheReefGeek · #9 03-02-2006, 01:05 AM

Everything I have read has stated they are hard to keep alive, I would not get one for a nano!

Aquaholic, your linkia will probably go the way of your sandsifting starfish unfortunately. Hopefully not though.

PowderBlueTang · #10 03-02-2006, 06:23 AM

I have Sand sifting Sea Star about 4 inches in my 15 gal, for one month with 2 peppermint shrimp and 20 assorted snails and LR. The only reason he is there because I wanted to figure out how hard they are to keep and get use to him before I put him in my 120 gal. It would be a pain to try to feed him in the 120 gal, if he went behind all the live rocks and didn't come out for days or at the bottom of the sand bed and try to feed some shrimp to him, ( up to your armpits in saltwater! ). So I find it easier to figure out his diet and their needs first, get a little better understanding of a star and the 15 gal is only 12 inches high, alot easier to get at the Star fish. I find the Star only eats a piece of shrimp once a week only. I have tried twice a week and it refuses and swims away from the food. I would hate to put it in the 120 gal and it disappear and die in the tank! I feed the tank Flakes,cyclopeeze, brine shrimp and krill but can't tell if the star actually eats any. I usaully lift the Star a bit and put some store bought shrimp under him and he won't move for a couple hours and I know he is eating, when he moves away there are no shrimp left.
I read that all stars are hard to keep in one way or another, so didn't want to buy one and have it die on me. I know they don't go after food so I hand feed or turkey base food particles at him. I will wait for 2 more months and when I am sure he is healthly and eating good, I will put him in the 120 gal.