Please help with a starfish ID

tpbay reefer

New member
I was at a local beach in Clearwater FL today and came across this interesting starfish. It is about 5"-6" from tip of leg to tip of leg and is a fairly fast mover. Can anyone tell me what kind it is and what kind of diet it would need to keep in my tank if it even can or should be kept in captivity?

Thanks
Chris

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It is one of the sand sifting stars, my guess would be Luidia clathrata, they usually don't come out of the sand except at night. They are not easy to keep, they need lots and lots of food, they will decimate your live sand very quickly then they usually starve. I have seen them eat other foods, try big chunks of frozen foods and give them a variety, they usually eat all the macroinverts from the live sand and the frozen available is a poor substitute, but you may be able to keep it alive by giving it other choices.
 

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