Question re: starfish

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Kiko

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Aug 30, 2003
Messages
68
Location
Lahaina, Maui
In my 55 gal FOWLR tank there appears to be an abundance of tiny starfish. They are greyish white in color, are no more than an inch from the tip of one leg to another, and look like brittle stars. They really start coming out when I feed my fish.

What are these things? Are they good or bad?

I'll try and get a picture this evening.
 
Most likely small Brittle Stars that came on your live rock. They can multiply pretty rapidly and are very good for a system. They clean up waste and sift the substrate. Consider them a blessing. :D
 
Yes, I have several and I never have to clean the substrate since they do the job for me. I would thank them for the great job they do if they reproduce too much, I would add some irchins or bigger stars that would eat them.
 
Starfish and Urchins

Thanks for the info.

I am glad to hear that these are a good thing, they are eveywhere!

I have never seen a starfish at the LFS here, I am pretty sure that they cannot be imported to Hawaii. I'd love to have one though, and will ask about it the next time I go.

I was told that urchins can foul a tank, is this true? I have had one before, and released it into the ocean b/c it got really big, really fast. It started out as small as my pinkie nail, and grew to bigger than a golf ball in a couple of months.
 
Depends on the tank size and species. I have had 4 in my system for over a year now with no problem.
In your system I think you could get away with a small species like a pincushion or a Blue tux with no problem. They stay small and are pretty self sufficient.
 
I have about a half dozen that I know of. They recently started appearing at feeding time. They are really cool to look at and are beneficial, as other have said.
 
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