Are chocolate chip sea stars safe for reef?

[tangtang clown]

Are these ok for saltwater reef aquariums?
I have one and he sat on my button polpys for a couple hours and some are missing now. What should I do?

[Ninong]

Are these ok for saltwater reef aquariums?

No.

I have one and he sat on my button polpys for a couple hours and some are missing now. What should I do?

You should remove the chocolate chip sea star and return it to the LFS. Just give it back.

[zhenya]

Are these ok for saltwater reef aquariums?
I have one and he sat on my button polpys for a couple hours and some are missing now. What should I do?

They are not safe for a reef type tank as they will eat your corals. For tank with fish only environment they are OK, but they need to be fed to do well long term. With what? I have no idea as they eat quite a few things, most of the time the very things you paid good money for to have.
Here's some info:
TFH Magazine :: Protoreaster nodosus

But you can search the net for more if you like using Protoreaster nodosus as keyword.
To be perfectly honest, I would return this starfish to the very store your got it from.

PS. It looks like we typed at the same time, Ninong.

[Ninong]

PS. It looks like we typed at the same time, Ninong.

Yeah, but your post was more informative. I gave the answers first and then googled for some info: Here.

These sea stars are known corallivores.



P.S. -- It's a pity that LFS personnel don't bother to pass on this information to unsuspecting customers, but then quite a few of them have the attitude that if you want to buy it, why should they do anything to kill the sale. If they started telling you about all the potential risks for everything they sell, they would soon have to stop carrying a lot of the stuff that they have no business carrying and that would be bad for business.

[zhenya]

P.S. -- It's a pity that LFS personnel don't bother to pass on this information to unsuspecting customers, but then quite a few of them have the attitude that if you want to buy it, why should they do anything to kill the sale. If they started telling you about all the potential risks for everything they sell, they would soon have to stop carrying a lot of the stuff that they have no business carrying and that would be bad for business.

Ain't that the truth.

However, I think people still do not use more research before even going to the fish stores, although plenty of information is available online and in print.
No excuses for the stores unwilling to give proper information, of course, but some of the blame should be shared by a consumer as well. At least I think so.

[Ninong]

However, I think people still do not use more research before even going to the fish stores, although plenty of information is available online and in print.

Many new hobbyists don't find out until it's too late that they can't believe everything they are told by LFS personnel or even everything they read in manufacturer's advertising copy.

Sooner or later they end up on one of the reefkeeping bulletin boards where they are surprised to learn that the information they were given by the LFS person was incorrect or the claim made on the manufacturer's packaging was not only factually incorrect, it was hilariously incorrect. I'm thinking of the "live" sand manufacturer who advertises a product called "black aragonite reef sand." It's sad that they allow people who are that stupid to sell anything at all.

Some new hobbyists are offended when these facts are brought to their attention, even going so far as to continue to quote the manufacturer's stupid claims in future posts as "according to the manufacturer."

No excuses for the stores unwilling to give proper information, of course, but some of the blame should be shared by a consumer as well. At least I think so.

Yes, it's up to the consumer to do the research in advance before making a purchase, especially a livestock purchase, but so many of them don't realize this until after they've been in the hobby at least a few weeks, if then. The usual progression is that a new member of the board will post a question about whether such-and-such is reef-aquarium safe and then, after being told that it isn't, they usually post something along the lines of, "well my LFS guy told me it was safe." Then a few days later, we sometimes see another post along the lines of, "my LFS guy told me you people don't know what you're talking about."

On the other hand, some new members learn faster than others and they are the ones who realize in a hurry that they can't always depend on advice they receive from their LFS. It takes a certain basic level of knowledge of the hobby before a new hobbyist is able to have a feel for who is steering them in the right direction and who is not. You can't always believe everything you read on the boards either but that's what makes it so interesting. You have to figure out as soon as you can who to believe.