New addition and a few questions.

[SquishyFish]

I was at the [acronym:d7e69999ec="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:d7e69999ec] today getting water (still havent hooked up the [acronym:d7e69999ec="Reverse osmosis"]RO[/acronym:d7e69999ec] machine )...They had some red star fish there that I had never seen before. And as long as I have been doing this..thats saying a lot. So..being the responsible reefer, I called my wife at work and had her run a search on it while I talked to the [acronym:d7e69999ec="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:d7e69999ec] guy about them. They are called Bali Red Starfish. He said that they eat flake that may settle to the bottom and any other food they can find. So..basically like a brittle. Kim called back..she said the same thing with one exception....it gave the impression that they may eat [acronym:d7e69999ec="copepods, amphipods, etc"]pods[/acronym:d7e69999ec] as well. So, with the amount of rock we have, I was pretty confident that it wouldnt cause any problems. I specifically asked if they were sand sifters...he said no, and the short research my wife found mentioned nothing about sand sifting.

I got a little concerened when I asked about how to buffer [acronym:d7e69999ec="Kalkwasser"]Kalk[/acronym:d7e69999ec]. (I have always used a two part additive and am new to [acronym:d7e69999ec="Kalkwasser"]kalk[/acronym:d7e69999ec]) He told me to top off the tank with DKH

So...My question is...Does anyone know anything about Bali Red starfish. The scientific name I am finding on line is Echinaster luzonicus, but I cant really find any specific info on what kind of diet they require.

I will post a pic of it tonight if my camera is working.

Thanks guys (sorry for the long post)

Squishy

Echinaster luzonicus is actually fine for a reef tank. They are not at all like a brittle star and will not forage for flake or anything similar, [acronym:dad2984978="copepods, amphipods, etc"]pods[/acronym:dad2984978] included. They are microfilm algae/detritus scavengers just like Fromia sp and Linkia sp. Probabley not as hard to acclimate but can be difficult to provide food for in a newer set up.

If you feel the 175 has sufficient natural food sources for a star of this type, you should be just fine.

Cheers
Steve

[SquishyFish]

Well, my Blue Link has been fine for over a year now, so I would think this guy will do fine as well. Thanks!