Mating Starfish? Or strange stacking game?

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dscount

Aquarium Advice Freak
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Dec 18, 2005
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Okay. I'm not an expert but I suspect these two are doing the dance. They have been like this for the last 24 hours. Moving around the tank at the same time still attached.

At first I thought it was just them crawling over each other. So I moved them and they within seconds attached together again.

Anyone got any ideas? Am I due to have baby starfish? No idea how these guys breed or what not. Or how to handle in my tank either.

TIA
 

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I am no marine biologist, but I believe starfish are asexual. I would pull them apart if it is not to late. The one on top could be trying to eat the other. I had this happen with some common stars before. A larger one climbed on top of another smaller one the glass and before I noticed it digested it before my eyes.

Good luck,
 
This is quite typical behavior for sand shifting stars. My lfs has about 20 of these and they are constantly stacked 2 or 3 high. I’ve asked about it recently and they have never had one turn up missing and when they separate them they just go back to stacking within an hour or two.

Sand shifting stars will eat smaller stars though but if they are close to the same size I wouldn’t worry about it.

Reproduction in an aquarium is unheard of and determining sex is near impossible.
 
Thanks. I don't think the top one is eating the bottom one. But I'll move them again just to check it out. Usually if any dead meat was around those pesky hermits would swarm them.
 
dscount said:
Usually if any dead meat was around those pesky hermits would swarm them.

Too true about the hermits :lol: Also if you are not doing so already I'd feed them about a thumbnail sized piece raw shrimp once a week and soak in Zoe & Selcon.
 
I saw our two blue linkia stars doing this a few times. They seem to find each other from opposite sides of the tank...Anyone know why? I think it is so amazing that they do this..
 
when you spot feed the starfish do you just leave a small piece of shrimp on the sandbed and let them find it or what?
 
Usually just close by next to it. My brittle senses it immediately and grabs it like an octopus and brings it in :D
 
Yeah but ya gotta beat the hermit crabs off with a stick while the starfish figures it out and moves. They eat good too. Usually get seaweed once a week and they crunch at least one snail a month.
 
dscount said:
Usually get seaweed once a week and they crunch at least one snail a month.
Mine won't touch seaweed, just the raw shrimp and frozen that the other fish get. I've tried. Haven't had any snail go missing yet. Do brittles eat snails also?
 
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