question about starfish

mikey3165 · 05/17/2007, 05:55 PM

is there any kind of star fish that u can put into a 20 gal. because i was thinking a chocolate chip starfish but idk??

Snowboarda42 · 05/17/2007, 06:15 PM

I think those eat corals.

What else are you planning on housing.

I've read alot that starfish are great for bigger tanks, and even then they are hard to keep alive.

Brittles can be useful to keep the detrius on the sand down and keep the sand stirred a little bit.

mikey3165 · 05/17/2007, 06:18 PM

uhhh i dont exactly know yet but i will probably start out wit polyps and mushrooms which are hardy corals so thats it for now

szwab · 05/17/2007, 07:38 PM

choc chips are not considered reef safe. IMO a 20 gal tank is not large enough to sustain most starfish. A serpent star could be ok since they are scavengers. Although if you have smaller sized fish be careful as they are also opportunistic hunters.

Angel*Fish · 05/17/2007, 07:42 PM

Just want to underline that - it can be hard to imagine, but they really can & will eat your fish - the green ones are sometimes called "the green death" - I wouldn't even consider getting one of those

IMO brittle stars should never ever be kept with sensitive fish like jawfish, personally I don't keep them

BigRick08 · 05/17/2007, 07:53 PM

Sand sifting star would be fine for a 20 gallon. I have had one in mine for a year now.

Ricepicker · 05/17/2007, 07:58 PM

stay away from star fish unless u know what ur doing.... serpents are brittles are fine... very rarely do they hunt fish, unless of course its the green onews

olds350racer · 05/17/2007, 07:59 PM

I second the "chocolate chip not being reef safe". I found that out the hard way. I had one that plowed through some GSP.

Angel*Fish · 05/17/2007, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ricepicker
stay away from star fish unless u know what ur doing....

Again, I agree - the post above mentioning the sand sfting star...I personally wouldn't want one of those in my sand bed munchingon all those beneficial creatures

The fact that these "pets" -starfish- are readily available at the LFS is very misleading. They generally should be avoided IMHO

05/17/2007, 05:55 PM	#1
mikey3165 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: new york Posts: 350	question about starfish is there any kind of star fish that u can put into a 20 gal. because i was thinking a chocolate chip starfish but idk??

05/17/2007, 06:15 PM	#2
Snowboarda42 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 1,094	I think those eat corals. What else are you planning on housing. I've read alot that starfish are great for bigger tanks, and even then they are hard to keep alive. Brittles can be useful to keep the detrius on the sand down and keep the sand stirred a little bit. __________________ 40B Mixed Reef 100% Captive Grown Corals See, that's the trouble with the world today. Not enough danger to kill off stupid people before they get old enough to breed. Bring back lawn darts! -PrivateJoker64 Current Tank Info: 40B, 20L Sump/Fuge, Mag 9.5 Return, 2x Hydor Koralia #2's, 150W 14K HQI, 139W T-5, Euro-Reef RS-80P Mesh Modded, 40LB LR, 80LB LS, 54x Turnover, Mostly SPS, Some Softys Too.

05/17/2007, 07:38 PM	#4
szwab RC Mod Join Date: May 2002 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 15,225	choc chips are not considered reef safe. IMO a 20 gal tank is not large enough to sustain most starfish. A serpent star could be ok since they are scavengers. Although if you have smaller sized fish be careful as they are also opportunistic hunters. __________________ Mark "I got a fever, and the only prescription, is more cowbell" ~ Christopher Walken Current Tank Info: AGE 240 Flatback Hex

05/17/2007, 07:42 PM	#5
Angel*Fish cats and large squashes Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 5,951 Blog Entries: 1	Just want to underline that - it can be hard to imagine, but they really can & will eat your fish - the green ones are sometimes called "the green death" - I wouldn't even consider getting one of those IMO brittle stars should never ever be kept with sensitive fish like jawfish, personally I don't keep them __________________ Marie So long, & thanks for all the fish! __________________________ Current Tank Info: Pairs: flame angels, cherub angels, Red Sea mimic blennies, yellow fin fairy wrasses, clowns, mandarins, blackcap basslets, shrimp gobies, damsels, dispar anthias, yellow clown gobies, threadfin cardinals --- Tanks: 100g reef, 2 x 30g refugiums

05/17/2007, 07:58 PM	#7
Ricepicker Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Posts: 146	stay away from star fish unless u know what ur doing.... serpents are brittles are fine... very rarely do they hunt fish, unless of course its the green onews __________________ It's because I don't touch it. 25g Mixed reef (36x12x12) 250W 14000K HQI

05/17/2007, 06:18 PM	#3
mikey3165 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: new york Posts: 350	uhhh i dont exactly know yet but i will probably start out wit polyps and mushrooms which are hardy corals so thats it for now

05/17/2007, 07:53 PM	#6
BigRick08 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Loveland, Ohio Posts: 77	Sand sifting star would be fine for a 20 gallon. I have had one in mine for a year now.

05/17/2007, 07:59 PM	#8
olds350racer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 17	I second the "chocolate chip not being reef safe". I found that out the hard way. I had one that plowed through some GSP.