Starfish question

[BlinkBoyCK]

Well heres the lowdown...
I have a 30g FOWLR tank with a thin little sand layer and everythings swell, and I'm thinking I'd like to bolster my clean-up crew. I plan on adding somewhat to my snail collection, but would like to completely avoid hermit crabs because in the past I've found them to be much more trouble than their worth. Even when I find some that aren't caniballistic/snail killers, they've usually preferred my pretty corraline algae to the detritus/cr*p that I want them to eat. So...
I don't really know much about starfish and was wondering if anyone would recommend some type that would eat leftovers/detritus/unwanted algae from the tank. Would graze through the sand and such. If necessary I would slip it some little piece of krill/shrimp to supplement its diet, but I want it to do a little work around the tank also. Any recommendations? Thanks for any help.
Chad

[Toutouche]

The onl starfish I would recommend in your case is a small brittestar. Stay with a smaller one, and definitely stay away from the green ones. Don't get any other type of starfish, as all the others will eventually die in your tank from starving. Most other stars do not really eat detritus, and almost all stars cannot be directly fed ( except for the brittle types)..

[BlinkBoyCK]

Hey, thanx for the advice...I've heard that theres differences between various colored brittlestars but wasnt sure if it was true. Could you elaborate a little on that for me? And if I am to get a brittle star i should stick to a smaller brown one? Thanx for any responses. Any other opinions?
chad

[areeferitis1]

I have heard that the sand sifting stars actually remove beneficial organisms from the sandbed. Which organisms, I am not sure. Green brittles can grow quite large. I had one that would take popcorn shrimp from my fingers. I would recommend small black and brown brittles, and serpent stars. I'd stay away from Linkia's too. My understanding is they eat sponge.

As to the crabs, which are opportunistic feeders, I have never heard of them feeding on coralline algae. Maybe pick microalgae, uneaten food, detritus off the corralline, but not actually eat coralline. I could be wrong. If so, I stand corrected. Since crabs are opportunistic feeders, I believe they only attack a snail or other organism that smell's of death. One that is dying is an easy target for 1) a meal, and 2) a new home to grow into. You might try the addition of some shells of various sizes to allow the crabs to find new homes. By adding the shells and shell fragments you will benefit the crabs with new homes, and give refuge to your isopod and copepod population in your system.

Have you tried nassarius snails? They need an oolitic sand to burrow in. If you are not going to use crabs I would add some of these along with your other snails. I might suggest trochus snails, cerith snails, and nassarius.

Hope this helps.

[BlinkBoyCK]

People have varied opinions on using hermits as cleaners, some swear by them, others avoid them. I initially preferred using them and thought they were interesting and a good addition, and always made sure to add extra shells for growth. However, something always went awry. The bad thing is I'm not even sure what types of little hermits I've used because I stupidly never bothered to I.D. them when picking up a few at the LFS. Whatever they had in their reefish tanks i would add. Not anymore tho, I'll stick to snails, they don't get greedy and gleeful when the brine shrimp hit the tank. They just suck that glass like I want them to.

Maybe I'll look more into getting a small black or brown brittle star too, snails can be a little boring. Thanx for the replies.

[koj11]

I have a 29 gallon FOWLR that's been up about a year now. I use hermit crabs I guess cause I've never had a problem with them. I've had a chocolate chip starfish for about 6 months now. He cruises all over scavenging whatever he finds to eat. I also directly feed him a little piece of something a couple of times a week. I got a big bag from my LFS that has frozen chunks of shrimp, octopus, fish, and all kinds of seafood that I feed him. He is one of my favorite residents. Here's a pic

[Toutouche]

Areeferitis1, BlinkboyCK, and koj11,
All brittlestars and serpent stars are the same actually. The 2 different names are common names that were more or less invented to distinguish between the types that have the more smooth legs ( serpents), and the types that have all the little spines on them ( brittles), but they ARE the same. You can kinda say like the same model car, except different trim levels.
Chocolate chip stars are not reef safe. All knobby type stars are basically not reefsafe. They will eat some of your corals and such.
Hermits are kinda old school for cleanup, although lots of people still use them. They are as mentioned opportunistic, and if there is nothing else to eat, they'll go after your snails and whatnot. The best thing for snails is diversity. Mix em up, as they all specialize in different areas in the tank more or less.
Sandsifting stars are NOT good for your tank if you have a DSB. They only eat what they can sift from the sand, and basically that includes everything you want so much to be in the sand.
As for getting the brittle star, just stay away from the green ones. They are about the most aggressive type, and will go after even your fish if it's hungry enough. The common brown or dark ones, even a red one and such are basically fine, but it would be wise to give them directly a piece or two of meaty food acouple times a week just to keep them happy and fat. It's fun to watch them scurry for that fod you place near them. They have an amazingly good sense of smell.
Linkias do not eat sponge. Fromia type stars eat mostly sponge and similar stuff.
I wouldn't recommend any of these types for your setup, as it's days would be limited in a setup such as yours.
Hope I haven't forgotten anything