red fromia
- Thread starter jbob
- Start date
petoonia
HereWeGoAgain...
If you have it in a 10 gallon tank I would seriously consider taking it back. Know one knows what exactly these starfish eat, so it is hard to keep them alive even in a large system.
I would really consider taking it back. If you really want a starfish I would try a serpent, or brittle star. Although im not to certain if a 10 gallon would be an appropiate size for them either.
I would really consider taking it back. If you really want a starfish I would try a serpent, or brittle star. Although im not to certain if a 10 gallon would be an appropiate size for them either.
finsurgeon
New member
Sorry to say, but it's gonna die.
hmm...why is that? i dont want to be one of the people that dont take the advise that others offer, but i dont understand. why would it be on the market if its "impossible" to keep? why would the lfs order it?, which is a custom tank place pretty much. the store is only open saturdays. if its that hard to keep they wouldn't take the chance of it dying in there tanks, on the thought that they might be able to sell it one of the 52 days there open a year? i dont know though. thats why i'm asking. is there any signs that it isn't healthy?
DMBillies
Active member
Many starfish not getting enough of what they need tend to visibly dwindle over an extended period of time as opposed to just showing up dead one day. So, you probably could "get away" with keeping it for a while and thinking that you're doing just fine keeping it. These particular stars may not be impossible to keep, and may actually be one of the hardier stars, but definitely need a tank bigger than 10 gallons.
The reason fish stores carry things that may not survive/thrive in home aquariums or that are environmentally irresponsible is because people will buy them (usually without doing their research first). For instance, a local reefer I know found a crown of thorns starfish for sale in a florida shop. First of all, those things eat coral, so unless you can supply it a steady diet of coral it's going to die (which, for the reefs, may not be a bad thing but is certainly not humane). Second, as a potential invasive species threat, they shouldn't even be exported to begin with.
The reason fish stores carry things that may not survive/thrive in home aquariums or that are environmentally irresponsible is because people will buy them (usually without doing their research first). For instance, a local reefer I know found a crown of thorns starfish for sale in a florida shop. First of all, those things eat coral, so unless you can supply it a steady diet of coral it's going to die (which, for the reefs, may not be a bad thing but is certainly not humane). Second, as a potential invasive species threat, they shouldn't even be exported to begin with.
i havn't decided what i'm going to do yet. i might just hafta take it back. i really dont want to be an irresponsible reefkeeper. i have noticed that i had some green hair algea before its introduction, and those patches are gone now. i'm real happy about that. i will admit that i didn't do any research before buying it, i went there to check out there yuma's and i had one picked out, but then the starfish caught my eye. darn impulse buys.
crsandoval
Active member
I had a fromia last in my tank for over a year, then I moved and it died. It seems as though every time I move my tank, they die. I have moved my tank 3 times, each time I had a fromia in there for over a year. Good luck though. Of everything I ever bought at and LFS, my sand sifting star has survived every move and crash.
Packersfan21
New member
You might want to try getting a sand sifting sea star. I have one in my 90 gallon tank and they're pretty hardy. It should be ok in a 10 gallon.
10g is too small for a even a small fromia. They need a lot of live rock and "something special" to survive. The chances that you have that "something" is low and the chance that you can maintain enough of that "something" is less likely.
That said, I know folks who have kept them for years . . . they don't get much bigger but they don't die (for years). 55g+ with 100+ pounds live rock seems to be the key . . . . well, gives them a chance.
As for the sand sifting star-- I wouldn't get another. These things ravage the sand bed of beneficial critters that can be the difference between 20ppm nitrate and barely detectable levels. Easy to keep in even a 20g, but not healthy for the tank (unless perhaps yuo had a really large tank).
That said, I know folks who have kept them for years . . . they don't get much bigger but they don't die (for years). 55g+ with 100+ pounds live rock seems to be the key . . . . well, gives them a chance.
As for the sand sifting star-- I wouldn't get another. These things ravage the sand bed of beneficial critters that can be the difference between 20ppm nitrate and barely detectable levels. Easy to keep in even a 20g, but not healthy for the tank (unless perhaps yuo had a really large tank).
Packersfan21
New member
It seems that everyone is against sand sifting seastars. I find mine quite interesting to watch and my nitrates are still around zero.
