Begginer starfish?

[Wobach]

Hi k so im sorry this isnt to do with my nano again!! but my 45 gallon has just about got'n around to finish cycling after 2 weeks n 3 days. im goin to my lfs tommorow to buy a clean up crew ( any recommendations?) and im wondering if a could get a starfish yet.And if so, whats recommended? Im already going to add my clownfish from my 6 gal. nano and the four blue legged hermits from there. thanks guys,

 

adam.

[Dan_G25]

I hear they need mature systems (6mos. +)

[Wobach]

hmmm... i thought that also.........

 

mind you, ive got a little one that came with my live rock in my nano... the nanos only 1 month.

[Tempest]

Serpent stars and brittle stars are hardy scavengers, but they spend most of their time hiding in the rockwork. They can make up part of the "clean-up" crew, but will need to be fed if you don't have any fish (they eat leftover food such as shrimp, squid, etc.)

 

Other starfish do need a more mature system. I'd recommend waiting at least another 3 months before adding one. If you do NOT want to keep corals you could (eventually) get a chocolate chip. They are hardy and easy to care for (feed 1-2 times per week).

 

Linkias and fromias need a lot of live rock and a mature stable system. IMO you shouldn't add one of these for at least another 5 months. Keep in mind that the blue and purple linkia's are infamously difficult to acclimate/maintain and have a habit of disintegrating within a week.

[kirei]

A sandsifting starfish or a red starfish (Linkias) would be a good choice. But not until your tank has been running for awile. Before buying one you really need to assess if you have enough for it to eat, because a lot of starfish housed in less then a 50g will starve.