Starfish - Which ones?

[Shultz]

OK, transfered this question from another one of my threads to get more response & thoughts......

I'm now adding to my setup & want to end up with fish & soft corals, from my other list I'm looking at the following:

Strawberry Gramma (now aclimatising)
Clown
Neon Goby
Firefish
Baggai cardial

Also some invertibrates:

Peppermint shrimp (now aclimatising)
2 cleaner shrimps
Candy Shrimp
boxing shrimp
blood shrimp
12 or so various snails

Then we come to the real question about starfish, I've been told that most with knobbles on(!) might go after other stuff in the tank, so I want to know which are reef/other animal safe?

How reef safe/hard to keep are the following please?

Red
Orange
Blue
Brittle
Black/white serpent

Also I have a bare bottom to my tank if that makes a difference, I've also decided not to have any crabs if that helps?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[scuba_steve]

prob a brittle would me choice but i just got my first 2 stars (red brittle) and they are doing great

 

[quarryshark]

I have 2 serpents and they are doing great as well. Had them since Dec. Good cleaner upers.

 

[Shultz]

Thanks, so it looks like a serpent will be fine, what about the others?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[quarryshark]

I also have a Orange, he is fine too. (see gallery).
Low maintainence.

 

[Shultz]

Might well get a red, orange & one or two serpents...

Anybody got a good link to info on starfish so I can see how big each one might get?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[quarryshark]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=23&pCatId=528

 

[fishstixs05]

Definatly go with the serpent. I have a red serpent and he is VERY cool. they move quickly, and it is always fun to see him poking out of the LR. I feed mine chunks of seafood on a skewer, and it is cool seeing him yank the meat off of the skewer and eat it.

 

[Shultz]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=23&pCatId=528

Thanks for the link, I read lastnight (can't remember where now!) that serpent stars "can" have a liking for soft corals?

Anybody have any thoughts on that please?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[Shultz]

Definatly go with the serpent. I have a red serpent and he is VERY cool. they move quickly, and it is always fun to see him poking out of the LR. I feed mine chunks of seafood on a skewer, and it is cool seeing him yank the meat off of the skewer and eat it.

Yes I read lastnight that they are very fast movers & smell food very quickly Do you have corals, if so have you seen your star having a go?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[steve-s]

The main concern with brittle stars are typically the green ones. They are quite predaceous and will eat anything they can catch including loose corals. Not ones attached but anything that is a cast off or unattached frag.

The ones that I have found "safer" and not touched corals or attacked fish are as fishstixs05 suggested the red brittle as well as the black brittle and certain banded serpent species. They also have the benefit of not growing as large as the green will and are great surface substrate cleaners. Just not active during the day.

Cheers
Steve

 

[fishstixs05]

Make sure not to get the green serpent star though! I havent had one, but they are known for attaking fish. Learned it from Robert Fenner.

 

[Shultz]

OK, looks like it could be a red,orange & serpent then? is 3 stars too much for a 30gal (42 US) tank? if you need to know what else is going in there then my other thread "newbie list" has it....

Whatever happens the stars will go in after all the fish/shrimps/snails

Cheers Shelton.

 

[steve-s]

For that size tank I would opt for just one. I've have had a black brittle in my 27 gal for years and has done quite well. For that matter, I've had a black banded serpent in the 90 gal and along with the other members of the crew has kept up quite well. Although with the cukes they do a fair amount of the work.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Shultz]

For that size tank I would opt for just one. I've have had a black brittle in my 27 gal for years and has done quite well. For that matter, I've had a black banded serpent in the 90 gal and along with the other members of the crew has kept up quite well. Although with the cukes they do a fair amount of the work.

Cheers
Steve

Really? I thought that since they didn't really add to the bio-load & the ones I was looking at /shouldn't/ fight that I could atleast add a couple of small ones?

out of curio (& being a newbie) why only one?

Cheers Shelton.

 

[Hara]

I have many serpent and brittle stars in my tanks and have NEVER seen them even interested in a coral.

 

[steve-s]

Really? I thought that since they didn't really add to the bio-load & the ones I was looking at /shouldn't/ fight that I could atleast add a couple of small ones?

out of curio (& being a newbie) why only one?

I wasn't refering to bioload. If you want more that's fine, you just have to target feed them to be sure they're getting enough. If just the one in a 30 gal, it should be able to fend for itself just fine. It's really just a preference more than anything.

Cheers
Steve

 

[steve-s]

I have many serpent and brittle stars in my tanks and have NEVER seen them even interested in a coral.

I have kept many myself and have personally seen a green brittle on several occations make a quick snack of soft corals I was in the process of fragging. As I said, it does not attack stationary/attached corals.

Cheers
Steev

 

[Shultz]

I wasn't refering to bioload. If you want more that's fine, you just have to target feed them to be sure they're getting enough. If just the one in a 30 gal, it should be able to fend for itself just fine. It's really just a preference more than anything.

Cheers
Steve

Ah right, no offence meant! being a newbie I think its better to ask & understand all answers before buying animals & then killing them...

Of course when I do add them it would be one a month maxium to see how they go

Cheers Shelton.

 

[steve-s]

Ah right, no offence meant!

None taken

Cheers
Steve