invertabrates

[klg1824]

what kind of starfish and urchins and sponges can go in the reef tanks. i heard that some stars eat the corals? and i have no idea about urchins. thanks!

 

[reefrunner69]

Most urchins are algae eaters and scavengers, I do not include them in my tanks cause they are also bulldozers. They go all over the rock knocking things over and eating algae.

Some stars will eat inverts, two popular reef safe stars are Linckia sp and Fromia stars. Brittle and serpent stars are also a beneficial addition to reef tanks as part of the clean-up crew.

Sponges are reef safe, but are difficult to care for, you should research then extensively prior to purchasing one.

 

[BillyZ]

I can attest to just about his entire statement as I have one of each in my tank )

My Linkia star is a good algae eater.. however I did just catch him stripping some newly purchased Culerpa right to the stem!

I have a banded serpent star that is rarely seen... other than his legs that is. He's a great comic relief in the tank... I always see just his legs sticking out from under the LR, like it was dropped on him in a cartoon!

I also have a long spine sea urchin.. he's huge! His body is about 3 inches in diameter but his spines give him an over all 9-10 inch diameter... He does eat a lot of algae which is good but he does take up a lot of space in the tank as well as feasts regularly on my Culerpa... I've had some here mention they can be tough on anenomes and corals as their spines can ofter inadvertantly puncture the anenomes and corals. I think i'll be getting rid of him soon... which does sadden me he was one of the first inhabitants of my tank... Spike, is his name... Spike is just neat (

 

[MR294]

As Kevin mentioned, Linckia and Fromia stars are reef safe and quite beautiful, but make sure they are added to a mature and sufficiently large aquarium. These stars do not accept spot feeding like serpents/brittles and quite often starve in aquarists tanks in a year or two.