reef safe starfish

[svynx]

I am looking at purchasing a starfish that is reef safe, or at least as safe as they can be. Are the sand sifting ones ok? I'm going to try to find a home for my chip star...i've read that they will eat coral.

[ROB2005]

Get a serpent star or a brittle star, be advised of the green brittle they have been know to eat small sleeping or weak fish. Sand sifting stars are not really recommended due to the fact that they deplete the sand bed of the microfauna that is important in keeping it live. After that, they slowly starve and waste away.

Those stars are really recommended to be in tanks of 300 or greater.

[r2odie]

I have a serpent star, 2 sand-sifting and a blue linkia all healthy for over a year now in my tank with softies, lps & sps.

[rbursek]

My striped serpents were eating my fish.

[ROB2005]

Originally posted by rbursek
My striped serpents were eating my fish.

That's odd, they usually only consume fish if they are dead or on the way out, is that what happened to yours? Or better yet what type of serpent stars you have?

[Flightpipe]

Ive been looking for a bubble brittle star from what i had read/told fun to watch and fairly reef safe.......

[rbursek]

I saw them go after fish at night under my red LED's and a sand sifting star, got rid of them when I broke down my tank when I moved.

[ROB2005]

Originally posted by rbursek
I saw them go after fish at night under my red LED's and a sand sifting star, got rid of them when I broke down my tank when I moved.

Have you kept them well fed?

[rbursek]

They were part of a CUC from DFS, did not know you had to, that thay just cleaned up left overs.

[maxheadroom]

I have a serpent star. They're pretty cool. Although my six line wrasse came up missing a week ago. I don't think he went carpet surfing ( i didn't find any fish jerky ). So I figured either my star or my LTA got it.

[Anteverius]

My brittle star seems to be reef safe. Fish safe...thats another question. At least slow fish. I have a few fish die and the star has been happy to take care of them for me. It tried to eat a Vlamengi (sp?) tang i had before it died.

[svynx]

thanks for the help. I'll read up a little more, and then make my choice.
cheers

[ROB2005]

Originally posted by rbursek
They were part of a CUC from DFS, did not know you had to, that thay just cleaned up left overs.

I mean it's not mandatory, but it makes them happier in the long run if you know what I mean. I usually feed my group of serpents once a week a silverside each. They come running out flailing their arms looking for the meal.

Usually they can go several weeks without food, but in the case of some serpents and brittles, it can be risky business not keeping them at least sufficiently fed, they may have a tendency to go after small sleeping fish, in which they arch themselves up on their legs and when the fish comes to rest, they drop down on them and trap them.

Usually when the reef safe serpents and brittles are usually seen consuming a fish, the fish is either weak or dead.

[rbursek]

ROB2005,
did know that thanks, that is why a Cardinal came up missing every week or two. They are out now anyway.