Starfish & Clams compatible?

J

jsc4354

New member
I have a derasa clam in the tank and was looking to purchase a starfish in the future. Not sure, which one I haven't decided but I read somewhere that they will eat clams. Is this true and do they all do this or is it just a select few?

Thanks,
John C.
 
some will definitely pry on clams. before you get one make sure you find out the true name of it and post back
 
Will do... I was not aware that starfish would prey on clams. I dodged the bullet on this one.

Thx,
John C.
 
I understood mbbuna's reply but I did not do a goob job of explaining myself. I was not aware that some starfish would prey on clams. So, I was planning on getting a starfish without researching whether or not it will coexist peacefully with my clam. This is why I said I dodged the bullet.

Thanks Again,
John C.
 
Just avoid all the carnivorous asteroid (Asteroidea) starfish. A sure bet would be a serpentstar of brittlestar. These guys will only go after dead or decaying matter, with the exception of a few that large enough to catch fish ;)
 
There's a lot of controversy regarding the habits of Asterina stars. Half claim that they don't bother anything, while others say that they will feed on coral. Either way, they are a pest as they're unsightly in dense populations...and they multiply very quickly.

Asteroids (Asteroidea) starfish are the typical, slow moving 5 point stars. Not all of them are bad. There are reef-safe species that are available in the hobby like the Linkia or Fromia genus. Avoid the ones in the Asteroides genus, or those that are recommended for fish-only tanks. Best to do research first before buying, as vendor information isn't always accurate.

Again, a sure thing would be serpent or brittle stars.
 
So asterina and asteriods are different? I just want to make sure I understand you fine. I dont think things like chocolate chips or such would bother a clam, but I wouldnt be willing to take that chance myself. However things like bahama starts and such could easily pry a clam open.
 
A chocolate ship would be a huge risk, as they're reported to eat clams and snails in the wild. A safe rule of thumb would be to avoid any starfish with knobs.

Just say no to knobby!

:)
 
Like, I said, I dont think I would try it, but I would find it hard to believe one could eat a tridacnid. The biggest chocolate chip I've ever seen was about 6 or 8 inches max from tip to tip. I have seen them eat sedentary corals, but I wouldnt think they could pry the shell open or get there "stomach" down into the shell.

But what difference does it make- we agree not to try.
 
Well, I was researching both brittle and serpent stars. It looks like the consensus is against the larger green serpents (cause they can catch small fish). Not sure why the reds or orange are not considered a threat when they grow to be just as large.

I will look at these or possibly a fromia since you mentioned they are safe as well. I will not consider linkias as a option while they may be safe. I read that they are difficult to keep and I should probably start with something easier considering this would be my first star.

Thanks,
John C.
 
I have the red knob sea star and a green knob sea star becareful of these stars they will eat or kill anything the can get their arms on! Your clams will become lunch with these guys. They got a hold of a healthy dwarf angel and made a snack of it! They eat corals and any aptasia I put in their tank!
 
I have a huge red serpent w/ my clams.
No problem.

DVC00696.jpg
 
saltcreep, thanks for the info I saw a red serpent that I liked the other day. It was a really bright red similar to yours.

Also, what do you feed yours?

Thanks,
John C.
 
Ooooh, you should snag that up ASAP! They're so hard to come by nowadays. Be sure to drip acclimate it slowly.

Here's mine:

Ruby.jpg


He gets a weekly feeding of either a piece of silverside or krill.
 
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