Sea Stars

[beefchicken31]

On another forum (hate it, ill stick with RC myself ;)) I was advised not to do any type of sea-star unless I had at least 200 LBS of LR or it will starve to death. Is there any sea-star that could live in a 75 gallon tank, with roughly 80 pounds of LR? Also, I need one that is easy to feed, wont eat any fish/inverts, and just all-around easy to care for. I was looking at serpants and brittles, but I think they get too large for a 75 gallon tank.

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7308424#post7308424 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beefchicken31
I was looking at serpants and brittles, but I think they get too large for a 75 gallon tank.

I keep serpents/brittles in all my tanks - the 80, the 65 and the 40. "Serpent star" is really just a common name applied to certain brittle stars (generally those with smooth arms). Most brittle stars are safe for a mixed reef, with the general exception of the green brittle/serpent - which is notorious for eating both fish and shrimp.

FWIW,
Kevin

[beefchicken31]

No worries about fish/shrimp for me as I will have a non-coral predatory/aggressive tank somewhere along the lines of a dwarf zebra lionfish, green wolf eel, arrow crab, and possibly a brittle/serpant star.

[beefchicken31]

How do you feed brittle/serpeant seastars? And what? I was told that brittles like to dig in the substrate for food, do serpeants do the same?

[keithntracy]

we spot feed our serpants once a week with shrimp from the grocery. they spend they're nights cleaning up the left over food.

[sage1970]

If you don't have corals I think the chocolate chip stars are cute...we have one in our predator tank....he is pretty cool.

But, I have to admit, I think the brittle stars kinda neat.

[IPowderBlueTang]

I have a sand sifting sea star and have to feed it pieces of shrimp daily or it will go after the snails. His new home is a 20 gal, got evicted from my 120 gal after it went on a snail spree! and ate my baby toadstool frag. Funny thing the people at the lfs told me it was safe for my 120 reef!

[romunov]

Stay away from asterids. Asterinas are probably only starfishes that do well in tanks.

Happy reading:
Sea Stars — The Whys, Why Nots and Wherefores (http://web.archive.org/web/20020804172027/www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1998/april/wb/default.asp)
Starfish: Considerations for the common varieties (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.htm)

[beefchicken31]

"Stay away from asterids. Asterinas are probably only starfishes that do well in tanks."

If they do well in tanks then why stay away from them?

[graveyardworm]

Asterinas generally come in as hitchhikers and can do well on their own. The majority of asterids are specialized feeders and in most tanks there just isnt enough of the approprite foods to sustain them. Most starve and suffer a long lingering death.

Also, I need one that is easy to feed, wont eat any fish/inverts, and just all-around easy to care for. I was looking at serpants and brittles, but I think they get too large for a 75 gallon tank.

I have both a brittle and a serpent. The brittle likes to dig under my LR so if your LR is on a sand bed this could mean trouble, also feeding it is tricky I'm still not sure what it eats and its health has definately fluctuated. My serpent doesnt dig, so far it has been a model citizen, and feeding is a snap it eats pretty much everything I feed my fish. I usually give it a piece of siversides when I feed my anemone.