Attacking Star fish, Is it Sun Dec 7?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone had a problem with a star fish attacking things in their tank. I have had a chocolate chip star fish for 7 months now. I never thought it was all that predatory. About two months ago a green chromis disapeared. No sign since. This morning I walked in teh room and found the star attacking my baby tang(3/4 of an inch long). The tang liked to sleep behind the heater. The star fish wrapped itself around the heater trapping the tang and was starting to try and eat it. I pulled it off and the tang appears fine. Obviously a little stressed and a couple white spots came about but he is eating like a champ and the cleaner shrimp is out and helping. White stopts are gone now, but will be keeping an eye on him. The star however is going to be banished today. I think I will trade him in at the LFS. What a morning.

 

[lil_ol_me]

I watch large brittle/serpent stars trying to take down fish on a daily basis. Beware!

Dave.

Wow, lots of Houstonians here these days!

 

[ophiuroid]

The chocolate chip starfish, and other 'knobby' type starfish including the African Red, are considered only questionably reef safe. Like many other starfish, and brittle/serpent stars, they should be kept well fed. What did your LFS tell you to feed him back when you got him? If they didn't tell you anything, make sure you tell them why he is being returned!!

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Brittlestars!! http://home.att.net/~ophiuroid
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[drwwalker]

Originally posted by Ranger:
[QB]Has anyone had a problem with a star fish attacking things in their tank. I have had a chocolate chip star fish for 7 months now.

I have one also and found mine this mourning attacking my coral I couldn't find the star when it was time to feed it so I guess he wanted to eat then silver slides is what i feed my chocolate chip star

 

[Anonymous]

Problem solved. he was traded as a free agent yesterday for a cleaner shrimp whose prior team released his rights. Signed a 5 year 14.00 deal.

 

[BReefCase]

The oft-quoted rule in reefing is that only smooth-backed starfish, notably Fromia and Linkia, are reef safe scavengers.
Knobby-backed starfish, chocolate chips included, are widely held to be predators. Some people hold that the rougher the starfish's back, the more voracious the predator.

FWIW the only Fromia I can vouch for are elegans, monilis, and nodusa. (Some knowledgable folks have argued that nodusa is really just a variation of monilis, while others have argued equally forcefully that not only are monilis and nodusa separate species, but that the maldivis nodusa is also a separate species, Fromia maldivensis. Go figure.)

I find Linkia generally just get too big for tanks under acouple hundred gallons. For us casual starfish keepers, it's hard to improve on Fromia elegans.

[ July 16, 2001: Message edited by: BReefCase ]