Chocolate chip stars

[mr. bojangsjang]

I am willing to dedicate a tank to seastars I like them so much. I know this cant have corals but I have a few questions:

Will they eat macro algae? What about micro-algae? I heard that they are omnivorous....

Will they eat hermits, shrimp, snails, basically a clean up crew?

Will they eat frozen foods?


Thanks!

 

[c.rob]

Mine devour seaweed sheets.They also love corals so F.O. or specific tank.

 

[Chad Vossen]

they will eat fish IF they can catch them. something like a sleeping mandarin could be caught. same with other inverts. if it can be caught, it can be eaten.

 

[mr. bojangsjang]

Thanks. Do they need a DSB or will they be fine in like 1/4" sand bed?

 

[dc]

I've heard most stars eventually starve in our systems. Maybe one of the more knowledgeable people will jump in.

 

[ophiuroid]

These stars do not need a sand bed. Highly opportunistic and omnivorous, they pose a DIRECT THREAT to a clean up crew, corals, clams, some algae (don't really know that they would get macro's but maybe), creatures on LR, INCLUDING other seastars etc. They are not guaranteed to eat any of these, but it is a possibility, and spot feeding may not prevent it (though is absolutely necessary, IMO).

They can easily be spot fed (and should be - a diverse diet of meat and algae). THis dramatically improves success with these types of stars over those like Linckia.

However, your water parameters are still critical....please post! Specific gravity must be, IMO, 1.025 - 1.026. Acclimation also is important.

The type of fish you keep is also critical, as triggers, puffers, large wrasses and even larger angels can be problems.

 

[mr. bojangsjang]

Thanks ophiuroid. I haven't even set up the tank yet so I cant post my stats LOL. It's going to be a 75 gallon FOWLR. Haven't officialy decided on the stock yet but I will build it around whats safe for the CCS. Def. going to avoid puffers and wrasses, going for a peaceful-semi aggressive tank.

I know you said the CCS would eat a clean-up crew but would fast crabs like sally light foots and emarled mithrax become lunch?

Also, how do you spot feed?

 

[Chad Vossen]

just place a peice of food, such as krill, right next to the starfish. probly have it touch the little feet, i think they taste with their feet. in moments it should move onto the food.

moving the starfish into some kind of "feeding area" will help prevent fish from taking the food before it has the chance to get over it. or put a strawberry basket over the starfish as it feeds.

at the LFS i worked at, the CCS would climb the glass to the surface and we fed them there. otherwise they would just eat whatever they found or caught

 

[mr. bojangsjang]

Wow thats cool, they climb up the glass!

 

[mr. bojangsjang]

Is Heniochus acuminatus safe with CCS? Someone said that they might eat the tube-feet of the star.

 

[ophiuroid]

Many types of butterflyfish...or similarly angelfish...that may eat or at least be "interested" in various types of worms, may indeed be attracted to the tube feet of the stars. Now, if this is now and then I wouldn't consider it a huge problem (eg puffers and large wrasses take of hunks of the star). But obviously if it is a constant issue, it would be a stress on the star. I would keep an eye out to be sure.

 

[mr. bojangsjang]

Thanks. Also is a foxface lo OK with CCS?