eBay detrivore kit!!!

[Mach]

So for those of us who bought this kit. Is it better off just leaving the star out?

 

[reefrunner69]

So for those of us who bought this kit. Is it better off just leaving the star out?

Depends, the pic posted could be a predatory star or it could be a beneficial detrivore. I would try to find out where these stars come from in his system, they should be fine in a fuge, in your tank they may or may not eat coral polyps. FWIW, if you don't have SPS corals, it shouldn't be a problem as these stars feed on SPS polyps. I have only heard of one report of any feeding on soft corals, and that was after years of good behavior.

 

[reefrunner69]

Here is a pic of one of mine...

 

[Mrbill]

Hey all,
I got another email from Bob...


Hi Bill,
 
I have a lot of things to catch up on, but I will register with AA and join the gang when I get a chance.  )
 
I should point out that I am NOT a business -- just an insane hobbiest.  I have huge systems in my home and I basically pull from my own tanks.  When I dont have enough macro -- I order it from Inland Aquatics.  I have many difficult to feed fish and what I have is simply what I cultivate to feed my own pets.  So I am by no means an authority on any of this.
 
Having said that, the micro-star is something I got from Inland years ago.  I keep it with corals without a problem.  I also saw an article about the bad white mini's but i thought there were less white and more yellow/brown and also irregularly shaped.  I emailed Inland so see what they say and I will put their response on AA when I hear from them.  What I can say about them now is that they have never bothered my corals, but some Butterflyfish and large Angels love to eat them. 
 
Most of what I have is here for the purpose of feeding my fish.  I make kits out of the excess.  This is why it's so cheap and the business people could not do it at this price.  In fact, I use about $9.75 in packing materials per kit as well which I do not pass on.  I see alot of folks think I'm getting rich from these kits.  LOL   It's just not true -- I'm one of those fools who just likes to make people happy.  I actually spend about 2hrs on each kit just hunting down the pods.  )

 

[MrsPeel]

Do think he would consider making a smaller kit for those of us who have tanks under 55? I have a 29, and I think that would be a lot of critters for my "small" tank.

 

[bob124578]

Hi everyone,

I was posting on the other link on AA and didnt know different people were on this one too.

Inland Aquatics confirmed that they are "Asterina sp stars" but like someone said above, only one of many types will harm corals. I usually find them on the glass or on rocks but never near the corals. If anyone has corals they are worried about I would keep it in the refuge or just ask me to leave it out of the kit. I could throw in a couple Margarita snails or Nerites.

It's good to know the scientific name now so I can change my ad to be more accurate.

Thanks everyone and feel free to email me at rs19148@comcast.net. Now that I'm no longer sick, I'm more available.

MrsPeel - if I cut the kit in half it would not reduce the value of it much. The main value is the diversity of species not necessarily the quantity of each. What I try to offer is an amount that is almost guaranteed to sustain a breeding population in your system. Somebody recently mentioned a website that offers mysis in lots of 100's, 1000's and 10,000 for cheap. All I can say is that unless you went out and bought that Mandarin before you had a pod in the tank -- nobody needs to buy that many. My point is that quantity is not as important as diversity. If you wanted less quantity, we could talk about your system and determine appropriate extras I could add for more diversity.

 

[BillyZ]

Welcome Bob and thanks for joining us here at Aquarium Advice!