Post your starfish pictures and experiences here

[Armando]

I'm thinking about adding a starfish. I won't try the blue linkia again, want something that can live longer than a couple of months . Anyone wants to share pics and experiences?

 

[JMAC]

I don't think you can go wrong with adding a Serpent star or two. I still have the only two I purchased 6 + years ago and they are still doing well! There are many colors to choose from and they are peaceful scavengers. In my opinion, I would stay away from the brittle stars and especially the larger green brittle stars as they have ben known to "trap" and kill small fish. Visiting kids get a kick watching mine "scramble" over the sand to retrieve a piece of food and engulf it.

 

[starrfish]

I agree - the serpents are awesome. They are like octopus when you feed them. They curl the food up in their long legs/tentacles and bring it to their mouths. When I feed mine shrimp pellets, they get a big lump in their head! But, other than feeding time, they are motionless during the day. On the other hand, my orange star cruises the tank all day long. I've attached a pic of both the serpent and the orange star climbing my live rock on his first day in my tank...

 

[starrfish]

And the Orange Star...

 

[Armando]

the serpent is cool but i like i prefer the traditional thick arm star, like that orange one.

 

[Piscevore]

How long has the orange star been in your tank? Would they bother clams?

nvrmnd no stars for me

"A larger specimen could be harmful to clams, sponges, and small anemones in the reef aquarium."

 

[starrfish]

Hey Ryan, the Orange Star has been in my tank since Jan/Feb. I don't have clams, so I don't know about that. But they are great & colorful additions to your tank. I love my star!

 

[SMS76]

Starrfish, where did you get that star? We ordered two from live aquaria and they didn't last a week with 5 hours of drip acclimation.

 

[starrfish]

Shoeib - sorry to hear about your stars. Liveaquaria.com usually has some pretty hardy stuff - at least the fish I've gotten from them have been very healthy. I got my star down the cape at Cape Maid Farms.

 

[Daragon]

I also have two Serpent starfish, very cool starfish like Starrfish said. I love watching them walk around the tank and hanging out on the LR. Watching them feed is fun to watch.

 

[davidrupe]

I have a serpent and I haven't seen him in a couple of days...
I got him on Sunday and he dissapeared.

 

[starrfish]

Have you tried feeding flakes to the tank - mine love flakes - they come out of hiding whenever I feed them. I also target feed them with shrimp pellets.

 

[tucc185]

I had really good luck with a chocolate chip star in a sem-reef setup. It was my first tank, and I didn't really know what I was doing, so I guess that just proves how hardy those stars are. I've heard terrible things about them capturing fish and destroying reefs, but my tank was only 10 gallons and he never bothered any of the fish or anemones and zooanthids I had in there. Of course, I don't think I'd trust one with acroporas or other stony corals, but I think a chocolate chip would make a very interesting addition to a fish only or soft/LPS reef tank. Mine was always active and a real pleasure to watch.

 

[davidrupe]

I have a chocolate chip, green brittle and a serpent star. Plus a few of the little white ones that show up on the glass every once in a while. Chocolate chip is great, hangs out near the top waiting for me to feed it shrimp. Green brittle I only see a leg here and there. As I posted earlier, the serpent is MIA.
I heard when chocolate chips get big, they will eat things they shouldn't but that won't be for a while. They are easy to catch so I will take him out if he does.