[Narmical]

Hello,
I’m a new to the hobby of aquaria and I have a bunch of questions I’m hoping someone could answer.

I am interested in keeping a tank of Starfish. I’m interested in one of the predatory kind that eats clams and such.

As such, here are my questions.

How big of a tank would I need for one of these animals? Two?

What kind of habitat would I need for them?

What is Live Rock?

Is there any difference between a tank designed for salt water use or fresh water use? (my father used to keep goldfish and I was wondering if I could reuse the tank)

What other animals get along with these types of Starfish? Specifically I was thinking one of those small purple lobsters (Enoplometopus daumi) would be neat.

And any other newbie advice is greatly appreciated!

--Mitch

[Ninong]

Hi Narmical,

Originally Posted by Narmical

Hello,
I’m a new to the hobby of aquaria and I have a bunch of questions I’m hoping someone could answer.

I am interested in keeping a tank of Starfish. I’m interested in one of the predatory kind that eats clams and such.

There are more than 1500 different species of asteroids (starfish). Most are ravenous omnivores that will consume anything they can catch.

How big of a tank would I need for one of these animals? Two?

That depends on which species you are thinking of keeping. Some species are much larger than others.

What kind of habitat would I need for them?

A normal marine environment, except that lighting would not be an issue.

What is Live Rock?

Live rock refers to dead coral skeletons that were once alive as part of the reef but were somehow broken off, perhaps in a storm, and then over the years became colonized by a diverse community of micro-organisms -- bacteria, microcrustaceans, polychaetes, etc. Live rock is used as a source of biological filtration in marine aquariums.

Is there any difference between a tank designed for salt water use or fresh water use? (my father used to keep goldfish and I was wondering if I could reuse the tank)

The glass, or acrylic, tank itself would be the same but the equipment required would be different.

What other animals get along with these types of Starfish? Specifically I was thinking one of those small purple lobsters (Enoplometopus daumi) would be neat.

That depends on which species of sea stars you are talking about. Obviously you wouldn't want to keep something that the sea stars would eat.

And any other newbie advice is greatly appreciated!

Before attempting to set up a marine aquarium of any kind, you should read one of the many beginner books available on the subject. You might also want to browse through one of the websites, such as Wet Web Media that offers advice on setting up marine aquaria.

Good luck!

[Narmical]

Thanks for the informative reply and for the link

I was thinking of getting one of the Chocalte Chip kind of starfish. any more detailed advice on that?

Is there a good rule of thumb to relate size of animal to size of tank?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Narmical

I was thinking of getting one of the Chocalte Chip kind of starfish. any more detailed advice on that?

They are commonly available in the trade because they are easy to collect. Just google Protoreaster nodosus for information. They are often purchased by uninformed hobbyists for reef tanks but they are not a good choice for reef tanks for obvious reasons. They are OK for fish-only tanks.

Is there a good rule of thumb to relate size of animal to size of tank?

There are no good rules of thumb for anything in this hobby because there are too many variables. This particular species can probably survive for some time in a tank of 40-gallons or larger.

[bongobrian]

Hey Narmical,

Not only read the beginners book, but you might also want to pick up a book specifically on keeping starfish. Several of the starfish species are difficult to keep in captivity, and aren't a very good choice for the beginner aquarist. On the other hand, certain species are easier to keep such as brittle stars and serpent stars.

You mentioned chocolate chip stars, this would also be one of the easier stars to keep. The only thing to keep in mind is that they are not reef safe and are known to eat coral and clams. You might also want to think about getting at least a 50 gallon tank since the chocolate chips can get quite large.

Many of the stars are sensitive to water quality, so make sure you have adequate filtration and I would recommend using RO water if you can.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide!

[Ninong]

Here are a few good articles by Dr. Ron Shimek you should read:

Echinoderms in Aquaria

We Owe a Lot to Brainless Dominance

Sea Stars -- the Whys, Why Nots and Wherefores

[Narmical]

im gussing "RO water" means "real ocean water" am i correct?

[wozza]

no but thats a good guess!
RO= reverse osmosis

Reverse osmosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Narmical]

So how does Reverse Osmosis water diffre from Distiled water?
is there a reason to use one over the other?

[weez1959]

both are good...

[CSeaSee]

Distilled water is usually bought in a store. Most people who keep saltwater tanks own a Reverse Osmosis unit and filter their tap water for a lot less money (over time).

[weez1959]

yup, that's true, I used to buy distilled until I bought an RO/DI unit about 8 months ago, it's paid for itself 2-3 times already!

[Clay12340]

I believe distilled water is actually more pure than RO, but for aquarium purposes they are both fine. My iodine/iodide test kit recommends using distilled instead of RO as RO may not be as pure and could skew the results.

[Narmical]

Random Question:

how does the RO water compair to the "britta" filterd water everyone likes to drink? i mean in a human drinkable water sence?

[dibenni]

narmical - that is a great question - although i don't know, i can't wait to see the responses because i have used britta water actually. i live in a town where the water is pretty good and all of the test i run on the water from the show that it is safe to use, so i usually just use tap water with a little "prime" just for good measure. but on occasion i have used britta water as top of water. i have only had my tank for just about a year - fish for about 9 months and corals 4 months, but so far no issues.

nick