Starfish for a 10g FOWLR?

[jipps]

Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for a feasible addition to my 10g Clownfish tank?

[drummereef]

Some snails perhaps?

[syddakyd]

you can definitely do a serpent/brittlestar just make sure it isnt the green variety they are known to have the ability to catch fish. but the others are good detritovoures but i toss a few shrimp pellets his way to make sure he is ok

[jipps]

Any pictures or examples?

Are there any colorful ones that I could possible add?

[ophiuroid]

I do not suggest ANY seastars.

Brittlestars and serpents may work, but you really must keep the parameters ideal. If this is a young tank, or you are new to small tanks, I do not recommend it.

Some smaller species such as the harlequin serpentstar Ophioderma appressum may be suitable. The large green and the bright red forms are not ideal for this size tank.

[klhscooter]

Meet Brutus.....he was one of my first inhabitants 7 months ago...he was much smaller then !!! He is great fun to watch and he gets along fine with the clown... This a 12 gallan Nano tankhttp://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/116058Nano_Diary_063.jpg

[jipps]

That's a brittlestar?

[klhscooter]

Yes...there are more pictures of him in my gallery. He now can span the entire width of the tank when stretched out. He spents much time curled up in a cave but always comes out for food !!

[jipps]

Do they ever try to escape? That thing is huge! That miight be a little too big for a 10g. What do they eat?

[klhscooter]

I leave the food door open all day... he hasn't tried to leave yet..lol. He eats everything he can wrap an arm around. he moves very fast when it comes to food. I hope to get a larger tank as soon as we are out of hurricane season. He can always go back to the LFS but I would be sad to see him go.

[jipps]

I'd be afraid of that thing getting out.

I'm gonna see if my LFS has anything interesting to add to this discussion.

[klhscooter]

Good luck... have to go back to work now

[jipps]

Thanks for the help

[ophiuroid]

The green brittlestar shown is a known predator of small fish and shrimp. That should be considered before adding one. It is not DEFINITELY going to kill something, but it is a risk. A definite risk...all brittlestars, as an aside, should be spot fed and not left to scavenge IMO.

[jipps]

Hmmm WHat about the harlequin serpent then?

[jipps]

What about a Red Chocolate chip?

[ophiuroid]

Seastars such as the chocolate chip are really not suitable for such small tanks, IMO. In addition, if you plan to have any other inverts in there, they are a significant threat to them.

[jipps]

So basically my two shots are the harlequin or the serpent? what can you tell me about your experiences with them re: temperament, size etc?

[ophiuroid]

The term "serpentstar" had no real biological meaning, it is the same thing as a brittlestar.

There is a type of brittle/serpentstar called a harlequin serpentstar. There are several dozen species in this hobby, several are options depending on the risks you are willing to take. No situation will be the same, no individual is the same, and so experiences are hard to generalize. The harlequin serpentstar Ophioderma appressum stays on the smaller side and so is less of a threat, though all should be spot fed.

[ralphie16]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8178270#post8178270 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ophiuroid
The green brittlestar shown is a known predator of small fish and shrimp. That should be considered before adding one. It is not DEFINITELY going to kill something, but it is a risk. A definite risk...all brittlestars, as an aside, should be spot fed and not left to scavenge IMO.

Definately agree on not being left to scavege all its food, especially if you get a larger specimen. Gotta spot feed. They also like full strength seawater (1.026sg).

Unless you get the small common black brittle stars (which max out at only a few inches arm span) I would like to tell you that the 10 gallon is too small.

Oh and mine has not even attempted to leave the tank. Their arms are different then seastars and they are not able to climb up your aquarium glass sides. This is because they don't use "suckers" for locomotion.

[ralphie16]

Forgot to mention that the "chocalate chip" seastar specimens are not suitable for home aquariums. Most of them will die because we do not fully understand their eating habits, etc. and therefore we cannot provide them with proper foods for them to thrive. Seastars should generally be left to advanced aquarists and public aquariums.