dpruter
Aquarium Advice Activist
Yeah, those coral banded shrimp can be nasty.
As for the starfish, there are so many things that can be deadly for them. Being exposed to air is a big one. The other issue in your way with that guy is that it looks like a linckia, which is a beautiful but very difficult starfish to keep. The biggest problem is that we don't really know what it is that they do eat! Some people can keep them, but most can't.
And I've been wondering when you were going to talk about your tube anemone. I personally have wanted to put one into the tank ever since I first saw them. I haven't for the reason that they aren't photosynthetic and I am fearful that work would get in the way of me caring for it properly. Maybe someday though.
What kind of anemone did your clowns start hosting, a sebae?
Thanks for the info on the starfish!
That was a bummer and unfortunately we didn't know 1) about the food issue and 2) that being exposed to air was an issue. The guy at our lfs actually took it out of the water to show my mom and wife who purchased for me as a gift. They didn't know at the time that was a big flag and a no-no. Lesson learned and another mark against that lfs. Ugh, hard to trust people that are trying to sell you stuff.
That tube anemone is awesome. He is still alive and well today. He's constantly grabbing things that float by and putting them into his mouth. The frozen brine shrimp is always first on his menu. (feed the tank every other day the frozen brine) I have him on the bottom end where all the water moves right by him and then gets either circulated back OR it get's dumped into the skimmer and then filtered. I THINK that's a good spot because all the particles of food / waste pass right through him.
The anemone is a Sabae and he's been a bit pissy ever since we put him in. I think he's irritated at those clown fish. They never stop rubbing! He's always closing up over night and then opening up again when the lights start to come up. Still alive and kicking though many months later although I'd like to figure out what's bothering him!