Looking for info on this cool starfish...

[Myka]

ScubaSteve, number of posts is quite the crap shoot at determining a person's knowledge. In no way did I suggest you were a newbie, and I definitely would not that notion from the number of posts you have. I didn't notice how many posts you have, and couldn't care less.

I would suggest if you're really interested in learning about this specie of starfish, and you really want to give it your very best efforts that you contact an expert in the field, not a bunch of "randoms" on a public forum. Maybe send an email to Ronald Shimek or pick someone else who has written articles or books on Echinoderms? When I have "high-tech" questions I don't ask them on these forums. Sometimes I do send PMs to people that I know are knowledgeable in the area though.

Originally Posted by naesco

Firstly, check out Fromia nadosa which is similar but purpole

Secondly, let's be honest, the people who are buying these impossible to keep species are not buying them to advance the knowledge of care of the species in captivity. They are buying them because they are pretty.

Advances are being made by marine biologists and advanced reefers who have the experience and the equipment to work towards success.

Well said. Bravo.

[toytech]

Some times LFS bring in stupid s*** and i think the responsible thing to do if you can is to take a crack at it and try and save whatever it is . No LFS is gonna say " oh this is really hard to keep i better send it back " .So good on ya for trying ,we wont make any advances in this hobby if nobody tried to keep difficult species , we would all have tanks full of damsels and plastic corals if people didn't try new things . Ill put it out there i have a mandarin in a 15 gal , i bought it specifically for that tank even though it should be in a big tank , now it eats frozen and get fatter all the time . But enough about all that , I'm very interested in you feeding techniques do you just squirt the food at the star and see if it moves for the food or is there more to it than that ?

[ScubaSteve]

Originally Posted by Myka

ScubaSteve, number of posts is quite the crap shoot at determining a person's knowledge. In no way did I suggest you were a newbie, and I definitely would not that notion from the number of posts you have. I didn't notice how many posts you have, and couldn't care less.

I would suggest if you're really interested in learning about this specie of starfish, and you really want to give it your very best efforts that you contact an expert in the field, not a bunch of "randoms" on a public forum. Maybe send an email to Ronald Shimek or pick someone else who has written articles or books on Echinoderms? When I have "high-tech" questions I don't ask them on these forums. Sometimes I do send PMs to people that I know are knowledgeable in the area though.

I apologize Myka. I was not trying to be insulting or offensive, I just get frustrated with the negative responses we tend to get around here sometimes and so was a bit edgy. Didn't mean to come across that way.

I have actually contacted a few experts, one of which is my friend who is specializing in enchinoderms. I will actually email Shimek on your suggestion. I'm curious as to what he has to say.

And I don't consider many people here as randoms; I think many of you are experts in your own right, especially you. You don't know it but I do hold your opinion in high regard and have followed advice that I have seen you give a number of times. My friend actually suggested checking forums such as this because Neoferdina is not widely studied by researchers, but if an LFS accidentally got the one that I bought, then it is likely that others have got Neoferdina by accident before as well. Collectively we have a far greater turn over of livestock than most researchers, so I was hoping that maybe at least one person around here might have come across one before.

Any experience, even "it died right away" or "it ate all my ______", is all useful to me.

So... apologies and ranting aside I do have some happy news. The starfish has survived at least one week and has posed in a good position long enough for me to take a picture. I have also begun to figure out what it might like to eat. Give me a couple of weeks and hopefully I can report back on that.

My iPhone makes the picture really blue but the colours are actually as they appear. This is under my halide (14K) and actinics and has not gone through photoshop.

[ALang]

Scubasteve, keep this up and let us know what you've found out about this so very cute starfish!!
Interesting about AcanPlus as possible food for it. Great to know that, too.