Red fromia starfish

[Nina51]

Means most things will die in his tank.

what?? that is an insane statement. i started back up in saltwater tanks just over 2 years ago after a hiatus of 30 years. things have changed, husbandry practices are better, lots of fish being tank bred/raised. i have most of the fish i started with 2 years ago (some i gave to friends because i wanted a reef this time and they weren't reef safe), plus more i have acquired over the last 2 years.

i considered myself very much a beginner 2 years ago. i'm a little more seasoned now but i still have a lot to learn. to say most things in the OP's tank will die is just mean-spirited. :thumbdown

 

[anthonys51]

not being mean just a realist. sorry if i offended you. but the reason i said things will die in your tank is you are new and seem to buy on impulse. hence buying a starfish that's hard to keep in even the most matured tank honestly sorry if my assumption is wrong and i really do hope this starfish lives. my daughter still ask what happened to here nemo.

 

[rt67ghy]

When transferring the starfish to your tank was it exposed to air? If this happens, air enters their stomach and they can't move. They can't get the air out of their stomach. They'll remain in one place and die from starvation.

I had a fromia indica for about 8 months. It would accept small bits of shrimp if I fed it but most of the time it would eat stuff from the tank. It tripled in size but I had to get rid of it because it would eat my plating goniopora. They do well in a mature tank with tons of LR.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

KP Aquatics has what they call a common starfish and I've heard they're quite hardy and do well in reef and FOWLR tanks. KP Aquatics is a great place to buy from. I'm waiting until they have collected sponges for the year and get a few different colored ones.

I highly suggest you call or email them. Make sure that you read the comments section

http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/common-starfish/

 

[travis9791]

I appreciate everyone's response on this thread. The opinions and experiences with this starfish seam to vary greatly. Not only on this thread but also on other threads I have researched. My Tank is a 144 gallon with a 30 gallon sump. I have about 150 pounds of live rock in the tank. Half of the live rock is pukani from an established tank. Algae growth is fairly good. As far as this being an impulse buy I'm not sure I would call it that. I went to the LFS for a Brittle star but they were out. The man at the LFS who I would assume to be knowledgeable suggested the Red Fromia. I had no reason to not trust him being that he has steered me away from purchases in the past that would not be a good fit in my tank. AS far killing things in my tank goes I think I have a pretty good survival record. I have only lost 2 snails and a lawnmower Blenny who seams to have disappeared. I currently have 2 clowns, 1 wrasse, 1 pink goby, 1 yellow tang, 2 emerald crabs, 2 hermits, 6 turbo snails, 1 coral banded shrimp, 1 duncan, 1 RBTA, 1 nuclear green polyp, 1 pulsing xenia. All are doing excellent. I check my water parameters every other day, and I try to research everything in my tank as much as possible. So I can provide it a quality life. The starfish is moving and shows no signs of stress. I am still on the fence and will continue to research this topic. Thanks again for all of the advise.

 

[Nina51]

if everything is doing well, save your test kits! no need to test more than once a week or so.

 

[travis9791]

After 5 days of little movement I decided to return the starfish. The man at the LFS seamed irritated about it and told me not to believe everything you hear on the internet. I said that was funny because the internet says not to believe everyone at the LFS. I got a couple fire fish to replace the starfish. I was thinking A brittle star would be better fit for my setup. Does anyone have any opinions on them?

 

[heathlindner25]

Just don't get the green or black serpent star of death. They find fish sleeping at night and eat them when they get larger. A lot of people unsuspectingly buy them thinking they're brittle Stars

 

[Nina51]

brittle stars are an integral part of a good cuc. they eat all kinds of crud! but yeah, stay away from the green ones.

 

[ca1ore]

The opinions and experiences with this starfish seam to vary greatly. Not only on this thread but also on other threads I have researched.

The trouble is, the ability to be successful with this animal depends greatly on how it has been handled through the supply chain. Since there is no reliable way to differentiate one that has been handled well versus one that has not been handled well (unless its actively decomposing), experiences are going to vary. It's not an easy animal to keep; though if handled well and added to a mature tank, it can be long-lived. I have one currently that has been alive in my tank for almost two years and appears to be doing well. I've also had one die quickly under the same aquarium conditions.