Starfish and Corals.

MattNGrant · 12/20/2014, 11:58 AM

Me and my partner have been with FRESHWATER, for me 2 years, for him 6+ years.. Now, we have converted to about a 50 gallon SALTWATER aquarium and it's filled with mostly coral, we've been at it for bout 6 months. We are wanting to get a starfish to try to get rid of the green algae growing EVERYWHERE... Grr. Of course, this comes with the saltwater hobby. We had a Niger trigger, anemone, and two clown fish. Now, we have a bunch of coral, 2 clown fish, and an anemone. It's growing to be a beautiful tank.

We are trying to figure out what starfish will and will not eat our precious coral.

Also, we need to find somwthing that will get rid of the massive amounts of HAIR ALGAE.

please, if anyone ha some suggestions i would really appreciate it.
Any suggestions on what type of starfish?

Thank you :-) -MNG

Mark9 · 12/20/2014, 02:26 PM

If you want a starfish, get a fromia.
To clear the algae, get some trochus snails.

billdogg · 12/20/2014, 03:06 PM

IME, hair algae is best controlled by limiting nutrients (Nitrates and Phosphates), and manual removal.

Nitrates are easy to keep in check by doing regular water changes, at which time you can use a toothbrush (preferably an old one, or at least someone else's

) to scrub the rocks. If you can actually remove the rocks to a separate buckets filled with old tank water, you can scrub them clean pretty easily.

Phosphates can be brought under control by using a phosphate reactor to use GFO (Granular Ferric Oxide). I have both a TLF 150 and a BRS reactor and find both to be satisfactory.

I don't really know of any starfish that will go after any significant amount of algae. I do like fancy (harlequin) serpent stars for both their looks and usefulness as a part of the clean up crew. They are very hardy and easy to keep, as a bonus they can be very active at feeding time, unlike most other stars that just sort of sit there, moving slowly around the tank.

hth

dosdiverz · 12/20/2014, 03:37 PM

I got a diamond goby for my 45. The algae was really, really bad. Within 2 weeks he's gotten most of it and still looks hungry. There is a little more cloudiness in the column but a little polishing with a filter sock every couple of days clears it right up.

He's a cute little bugger too.

Teenreefer15 · 12/20/2014, 04:13 PM

Get some turbo snails to clear the algae.

ReefKeep66 · 12/20/2014, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dosdiverz

I got a diamond goby for my 45. The algae was really, really bad. Within 2 weeks he's gotten most of it and still looks hungry. There is a little more cloudiness in the column but a little polishing with a filter sock every couple of days clears it right up.

He's a cute little bugger too.

I love diamond gobys, but there pretty hit or miss. I had one several years ago that was an awesome addition to my tank, just tried putting a new one hoping he'd be like the last, he destroyed my tank. Buried all my coral frags, and made my clown jump out of the tank

dosdiverz · 12/20/2014, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReefKeep66

I love diamond gobys, but there pretty hit or miss.

Uh Oh... I didn't know they could be destructive. I had one that just sat there all day and cleaned a 4 inch section of the bottom. I guess I'm lucky he isn't a pita. I'll keep an eye on him though. Thanks for the tip.

ReefKeep66 · 12/20/2014, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dosdiverz

Uh Oh... I didn't know they could be destructive. I had one that just sat there all day and cleaned a 4 inch section of the bottom. I guess I'm lucky he isn't a pita. I'll keep an eye on him though. Thanks for the tip.

Sounds like you got a good one. This one was literally in my tank for 3 days before I took him out. I would show you pictures, but it just looks like I dumped 40lbs of sand in my tank lol

dosdiverz · 12/23/2014, 10:33 PM

I'd love to see pictures if and when they become available. I am really curious about how destructive they can be. If you can post those it would be really helpful.

Thank you.

jachrist · 12/27/2014, 03:27 AM

The "common star" or more technically "Echinaster sentus" is another reef safe option. I've had one in my tank for a couple weeks now. I've watched him slide over zoas, under mushrooms, and I've got a friend that's got three in a mixed reef tank with no problems. They are pretty active and like to crawl around the top of the glass so they are fun to watch too. Snails tend to go across him all the time and nobody seems to mind. You can order them really cheap too. They are pretty small (about the size of half a dollar) but stay pretty active and don't just hide under rock.

jachrist · 12/27/2014, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattNGrant

We are trying to figure out what starfish will and will not eat our precious coral.

Also-- not sure how much research you have done, but don't get a Chocolate Chip starfish! They will eat $50 frags for snacks! They are tempting as every petco has them for like $10, but you won't be happy with what he chooses to eat.

A lot of people also try Tile starfish, which is part of the fromia family, but I haven't personally seen much success with them. But worth a shot if that's what you personally like!

Just do some research as all starfish like stable water levels and don't tolerate swings in salinity.

One fish · 12/27/2014, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jachrist

The "common star" or more technically "Echinaster sentus" is another reef safe option. I've had one in my tank for a couple weeks now. I've watched him slide over zoas, under mushrooms, and I've got a friend that's got three in a mixed reef tank with no problems. They are pretty active and like to crawl around the top of the glass so they are fun to watch too. Snails tend to go across him all the time and nobody seems to mind. You can order them really cheap too. They are pretty small (about the size of half a dollar) but stay pretty active and don't just hide under rock.

Where did you order him from?

Sk8r · 12/27/2014, 12:04 PM

Re your algae problem, set up a GFO reactor (ca. 50.00) and just keep changing the medium monthly until the algae is gone.

jachrist · 12/28/2014, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by One fish

Where did you order him from?

KP aquatics

12/20/2014, 11:58 AM	#1
MattNGrant Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 1	Starfish and Corals. Me and my partner have been with FRESHWATER, for me 2 years, for him 6+ years.. Now, we have converted to about a 50 gallon SALTWATER aquarium and it's filled with mostly coral, we've been at it for bout 6 months. We are wanting to get a starfish to try to get rid of the green algae growing EVERYWHERE... Grr. Of course, this comes with the saltwater hobby. We had a Niger trigger, anemone, and two clown fish. Now, we have a bunch of coral, 2 clown fish, and an anemone. It's growing to be a beautiful tank. We are trying to figure out what starfish will and will not eat our precious coral. Also, we need to find somwthing that will get rid of the massive amounts of HAIR ALGAE. please, if anyone ha some suggestions i would really appreciate it. Any suggestions on what type of starfish? Thank you :-) -MNG

12/20/2014, 03:06 PM	#3
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	IME, hair algae is best controlled by limiting nutrients (Nitrates and Phosphates), and manual removal. Nitrates are easy to keep in check by doing regular water changes, at which time you can use a toothbrush (preferably an old one, or at least someone else's) to scrub the rocks. If you can actually remove the rocks to a separate buckets filled with old tank water, you can scrub them clean pretty easily. Phosphates can be brought under control by using a phosphate reactor to use GFO (Granular Ferric Oxide). I have both a TLF 150 and a BRS reactor and find both to be satisfactory. I don't really know of any starfish that will go after any significant amount of algae. I do like fancy (harlequin) serpent stars for both their looks and usefulness as a part of the clean up crew. They are very hardy and easy to keep, as a bonus they can be very active at feeding time, unlike most other stars that just sort of sit there, moving slowly around the tank. hth __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

12/27/2014, 12:04 PM	#13
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Re your algae problem, set up a GFO reactor (ca. 50.00) and just keep changing the medium monthly until the algae is gone. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/20/2014, 02:26 PM	#2
Mark9 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Atlanta Posts: 2,497	If you want a starfish, get a fromia. To clear the algae, get some trochus snails.

12/20/2014, 03:37 PM	#4
dosdiverz Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Plumas Lake, California Posts: 30	I got a diamond goby for my 45. The algae was really, really bad. Within 2 weeks he's gotten most of it and still looks hungry. There is a little more cloudiness in the column but a little polishing with a filter sock every couple of days clears it right up. He's a cute little bugger too.

12/20/2014, 04:13 PM	#5
Teenreefer15 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: New Jersey Posts: 479	Get some turbo snails to clear the algae.

12/23/2014, 10:33 PM	#9
dosdiverz Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Plumas Lake, California Posts: 30	I'd love to see pictures if and when they become available. I am really curious about how destructive they can be. If you can post those it would be really helpful. Thank you.

12/27/2014, 03:27 AM	#10
jachrist Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Nebraska Posts: 87	The "common star" or more technically "Echinaster sentus" is another reef safe option. I've had one in my tank for a couple weeks now. I've watched him slide over zoas, under mushrooms, and I've got a friend that's got three in a mixed reef tank with no problems. They are pretty active and like to crawl around the top of the glass so they are fun to watch too. Snails tend to go across him all the time and nobody seems to mind. You can order them really cheap too. They are pretty small (about the size of half a dollar) but stay pretty active and don't just hide under rock.