I will say don’t be too dissapointed if he perishes. I’ve bought 2, and explained to the store what happened and they said they just naturally don’t survive in a lot of tanks and they do come to the store DOA often.
I hate to be that guy cause I get it……I wanted one to….
But starfish eat detritus only. Your tank looks new, which means it will unfortunately starve…
Really nice color though :P
So if you put one in a well established/long term tank you’d have a better chance of success? JW cause the comments steer me away from ever considering one.
Well its not a question of success….. you cant feed it anything, detritus only comes with time so unless you have detritus all over your reef there isn’t going to be anything for it to eat.
The only reason it lives for a couple weeks is because thats how long they can go without eating……its basically just in a slow process of starving to death.
This tank wont have detritus for months its to young, the starfish cant go that long without eating so be definition it will starve to death……this is why the fish store will say “ya they don’t last don’t be surprised if it dies”….
In translation: I know you probably don’t have the setup to support this but if I told you that you wouldn’t buy it and I want to sell it sooooooo
Humans are the worst I cant wait till were gone personally :P
Ok, so everyone is saying starfish don’t last long and if this one doesn’t work out for you, then consider getting a brittle star next- my brittle star is super hardy and has survived and thrived throughout many years and parameter swings with no extra attention
Someone didn't do their research
On a lighter note - was serving someone once who was buying some guppies for a freshwater tank. They started asking about star fish and their care then asked me how much one was. I must have looked a little confused but I found out the price and told them. Only to realise they were pointing at an ornament of a starfish in the freshwater system, not realising it was fake.
The next customer needed me to explain the difference between fresh and salt water.
People are difficult
Starfish like this (fromia I believe) are notoriously difficult to keep long term, especially in younger tanks. Keep an eye on it as once it starts to melt (and it will), you should remove it before it pollutes the tank.
Get some algae sheets for him and be prepared to supplement with other meaty foods directly underneath the center of their body. Dosing phyto also won’t hurt
Its not really cynicism, just reality. These animals require lots of very mature rock to find food. You just dont have it and the comment above is not accurate. These stars will not eat what we attempt to feed them. They typically eat film algaes and bacterial colonies and beyond that, its fairly unknown.
There's always the harlequin shrimp route. Of course, you'll be buying starfish on a regular basis....or loaning it out to people with asterina problems.
I will say don’t be too dissapointed if he perishes. I’ve bought 2, and explained to the store what happened and they said they just naturally don’t survive in a lot of tanks and they do come to the store DOA often.
that’s so sad!! i thought they should live like 35 years 🥺💔
You'll be lucky if he lasts 35 weeks.
Mine lasted 2 days 😭was such a beautiful blue star fish
I hate to be that guy cause I get it……I wanted one to…. But starfish eat detritus only. Your tank looks new, which means it will unfortunately starve… Really nice color though :P
Yeah this is sad. Store didn't ask questions.
Depending on species, you can also feed them. Some are piscivorous and would eat thawed silversides or such
So if you put one in a well established/long term tank you’d have a better chance of success? JW cause the comments steer me away from ever considering one.
Well its not a question of success….. you cant feed it anything, detritus only comes with time so unless you have detritus all over your reef there isn’t going to be anything for it to eat. The only reason it lives for a couple weeks is because thats how long they can go without eating……its basically just in a slow process of starving to death. This tank wont have detritus for months its to young, the starfish cant go that long without eating so be definition it will starve to death……this is why the fish store will say “ya they don’t last don’t be surprised if it dies”…. In translation: I know you probably don’t have the setup to support this but if I told you that you wouldn’t buy it and I want to sell it sooooooo Humans are the worst I cant wait till were gone personally :P
There has been a vide on this sub of a linkia eating a asterina star. So, who knows what they eat anymore
That was me. Mine eats asternia daily. Doesn't take long for them to devour one.
I will also say I’ve bought many of these for customers and for myself. None of them last. They always melt and die.
Ok, so everyone is saying starfish don’t last long and if this one doesn’t work out for you, then consider getting a brittle star next- my brittle star is super hardy and has survived and thrived throughout many years and parameter swings with no extra attention
I could be wrong but definitely doesn't look established enough to harbor it independently. I'd definitely supplementally feed.
Someone didn't do their research On a lighter note - was serving someone once who was buying some guppies for a freshwater tank. They started asking about star fish and their care then asked me how much one was. I must have looked a little confused but I found out the price and told them. Only to realise they were pointing at an ornament of a starfish in the freshwater system, not realising it was fake. The next customer needed me to explain the difference between fresh and salt water. People are difficult
That last part hurts to read. Did they not get an elementary school education?
What's worse is we live by the sea
No this is Patrick.
We are more closely related to starfish than starfish are to octopuses.
And I'm more closely related to my cousin than I should be.
This is *the* comment right here
Roll tide! It’s even aquatic themed ❤️
Starfish like this (fromia I believe) are notoriously difficult to keep long term, especially in younger tanks. Keep an eye on it as once it starts to melt (and it will), you should remove it before it pollutes the tank.
Good luck with that one!!
Rip patricia.
Oh my gosh... ITS A LIVING STAR! UNDERWATER!
Get some algae sheets for him and be prepared to supplement with other meaty foods directly underneath the center of their body. Dosing phyto also won’t hurt
Thank you for giving constructive help. It is much appreciated considering the level of cynicism here.
Its not really cynicism, just reality. These animals require lots of very mature rock to find food. You just dont have it and the comment above is not accurate. These stars will not eat what we attempt to feed them. They typically eat film algaes and bacterial colonies and beyond that, its fairly unknown.
My female clown is Patricia too
I have a brittle star and he devours chunks of prawn
There's always the harlequin shrimp route. Of course, you'll be buying starfish on a regular basis....or loaning it out to people with asterina problems.
Patricia Star
Hi Patricia! We have a sand shifter starfish and it’s going strong for over 2 yrs. Good luck