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  #1  
Old 12/08/2007, 06:40 PM
MrX1oo1 MrX1oo1 is offline
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Reef safe stars?

which stars are reefsafe? serpents? thanks
  #2  
Old 12/08/2007, 07:03 PM
orbit orbit is offline
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i think they are reef safe,

i have a red star that is also reef safe

i was told my my LFS that there is a way to tell but i dont know if it is correct

maybe some here can tell me if hes correct

he basically told me that if u look at the starfish and if the top of the starfish is smooth, its reef safe.
if the top is not smooth or has knobs it is not reef safe

ex Chocolate Chip
they arent reef safe because of the pointy knobs

Orbit
  #3  
Old 12/08/2007, 07:05 PM
greenbean36191 greenbean36191 is offline
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Linckia and Fromia are both reef safe, but have dismal survival in the hobby and almost never make it in tanks with less than 100lbs of LR.

Brittle and serpent stars are generally safe as long as they're occasionally fed. Some species will hunt fish if they get really hungry and Ophiarachna incrassata may go for fish even if it's not starved.
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  #4  
Old 12/08/2007, 07:08 PM
MrX1oo1 MrX1oo1 is offline
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ok yeah im looking for a star for my 24g. i heard that brittle stars eat fish, is that true for serpant stars? i feed every other day
  #5  
Old 12/08/2007, 11:17 PM
VengefulNemesis VengefulNemesis is offline
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I have had a serpent for 3 years and haven't had any problems. Mine just doesn't come out during the day at all. not much to look at.
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  #6  
Old 12/08/2007, 11:25 PM
Kemo484 Kemo484 is offline
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I have a red serpent in my 34 and have no problems with it, I do feed it a piece of raw shrimp every few days or so.
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  #7  
Old 12/08/2007, 11:26 PM
MrX1oo1 MrX1oo1 is offline
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well as long as it doesnt eat fish or coral i wouldnt mind it, i do have moonlights
  #8  
Old 12/08/2007, 11:43 PM
FragMan07 FragMan07 is offline
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I also have a serpent. I just had a nightmare scenario today with him. I came home and found him sucked up partially into the intake on a power sweeper I place too low to the sand.

I hope the starfish is gonna be ok. He seems to have a circular indentation on top of him, but other than that he seem fine.

Never ever had a problem in my life with the serpent starfish before today.
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  #9  
Old 12/08/2007, 11:54 PM
orbit orbit is offline
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sorry but i dont mean to hijack this thread, how exactly do u feed your starfish?

i have my red star in my tank for about a month now and i dont think i feed it correctly, i tired putting some brime shrimp under him but by the time i can pick him up and put the food under him the food is blown away.when feed i pullthe maxijet but leave my aquaclear on

but yet the star is still very active, i just dont know wut its eating. do they search for food around the tank or something?
  #10  
Old 12/09/2007, 12:15 AM
MrX1oo1 MrX1oo1 is offline
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so know i know they're reef safe, does anyone have any pictures or recommendations for one?
  #11  
Old 12/09/2007, 08:49 AM
aquawolf aquawolf is offline
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Check out liveaquaria.com they will have pictures and detailed information about minimum tank size, care level, feeding, and so forth. It is a great site to use while researching what you might want to add to your tank next.

Good luck.
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  #12  
Old 12/09/2007, 08:54 AM
greenbean36191 greenbean36191 is offline
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Brittle and serpent stars are the same thing. The distinction between the two made by the hobby has no real significance taxonomically or behaviorally. Most could probably catch and eat fish if it came to that, but for most species it's very rare or unreported at all. The only one in the hobby that eats fish on more than just a very rare occasion is O. incrassata.

Quote:
sorry but i dont mean to hijack this thread, how exactly do u feed your starfish?

i have my red star in my tank for about a month now and i dont think i feed it correctly, i tired putting some brime shrimp under him but by the time i can pick him up and put the food under him the food is blown away.when feed i pullthe maxijet but leave my aquaclear on

but yet the star is still very active, i just dont know wut its eating. do they search for food around the tank or something?
With the true starfish that are reef safe (Fromia and Linckia) there is no way to feed them. They usually don't take to target feeding. Their diet isn't known anyway, but it's believed they graze on microscopic organic films that grow on the LR. That's why they have such poor survival rates in small or newly established tanks without enough grungy LR for them to graze.

With brittle or serpent stars you just put some meaty food near them and they'll grab it.
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