Starfish for a Nano?

[Wasabi]

Are there any small reef safe starfish? Something that would be good in under 10 gallons? Thanks,

 

Scott

[BustytheSnowMaam]

They're not very charismatic, but you can get mini-bristle starfish and they are reef-safe. They are about the size of a quarter and they come out at night. Mine came with my LR so I can't tell you where one can obtain them.

Tasha

[Sahin]

Ihave about 6 or seven of the small type tashayar describes, and again they came with the Live Rock. I dont trust the starfishes, namely the larger ones you can buy at the LFS.

[mimie]

Green Brittle Star,( Ophioarachna incrassata) Hardy efficient scavenger.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

I've seen the type Mimie describes in reef tanks before, so I think they're probably alright too.

Tasha

[MKramer]

I think the old thread on stafish got lost when the forum software was changed, so let me attempt to recap:

 

Brittle stars are generally reef safe, but get HUGE and can mess up your rockwork, and will occasionally catch and harm fish. I personally think they get way too big for a nano. The mini-brittles that tasha refers to are cool and quite beneficial, but you can't actually buy them. I've seen them come on a lot of liverock, though.

 

Of the ornamental stars, the three genuses worth considering are Fromia, Linkia, and Echinaster. The Echinaster and Fromia stars generally stay under 3-4", making them good nano candidates. I personally think the Marbled Fromias are awesome looking.

 

The Linkia stars are generally a hardier stock than the other two, and come in a wider range of colors (Purple, Blue, ORange, Red, Burgandy, etc.). Unfortunately, they will grow quite large over time. I currently have a red linkia that is about 4". He's already grow about an inch in the 2 months I've had him. In the wild, they can grow over a foot. In aquariums, I've never seen one bigger than 8". But that's definitely too big for a nano. If you get one, do it with the knowledge that he might need a new, larger home in the future.

 

While all three of these can be considered reef-safe, in my opinion, they are ALL omnivores. If at some point in time they decide they aren't getting the right food, they will very likely begin attacking snails, clams, scallops, and corals.

 

The Fromia stars consume the most vegitation, proportionally, so they're least likely to turn on you. But I recommend giving all species occasional pieces of of fresh shrimp, mussel, or clam, by setting a piece on the sand or a rock, and placing the starfish's mouth right on top of it. What they prefer depends on he species, so you can either experiment, or do some extra research.

[mysk]

you can get mini brittle stars through ipsf.com

i had no problems with ordering through them