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Starfish

Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Messages
7
Im just researching the possiblility of setting up a cuttlefish tank. Not about to happen anytime soon, but i was wondering if any other animals could be kept with cuttles. Correct me if im wrong, but I looked into it and lots of sites said starfish. I also wanted to keep corals in the tank, and it seems lotsa starfish think corals are a nice dinner. So has anyone ever kept starfish with cephalopods that dont eat corals, or any other species for that fact?
 
The above are also all hard to keep in captivity so shouldn't be looked at as viable options. Your best bet, and in my opinion, a must for cuttlefish, is a serpent star.
 
I would second the serpent star. Great reef compatibility. Sand sifter stars usually perish because of insufficient nutrient/food in the sand. Even worse, they deplete the good matter in the sand and then perish. They seem to be best suited for Harlequin Shrimp food, not for a reef; they should be left in the ocean. Chocolate chip stars are not reef compatible and will eat corals and sessile inverts, even some fish if given the chance.
 
I'll vote with the serpents and brittles (I keep octos, not cuttles) too. Stay away from the green ones but all the other Caribbean serpents that I have kept are excellent (and I think I have all the common ones). There is quite a variety to choose from and they all do very well. There is also a Thorney star that I keep in all my octo tanks. They have never bothered my few softies but I don't keep any hard corals. I have seen write-ups that say they are vegetarian and will starve in at tank like the commons but that information is incorrect and they readily eat meaty food. Thornies can be very bright orange and, unlike the serpents, are diurnal (the serpents learn when it is supper time though and will show up for chow time regularly). I keep the thornies in addition to my serpents, no in place of.
 
I would say we know less about the care of starfish then we do cuttlefish. The linka's are supposed to eat micro algea but I've seen them eat astera starfish which has been document on reef central. I've kept the smaller red ones for about a year or so I have no idea how long they are supposed to live.
 
Thank you guys so much, i looked them up (thank god for the internet) and they seem like a great addition. For those of you who have kept them with cephs, do they bother each other at all? and the tank i have is a tall 55, would they feel cramped in that if they could spread their arms from wall to wall (that is for a larger species, hopefully i could find a small type) and your right, the green ones are nasty!
 
I'm assuming "they" is serpent stars? And if you get a serpent star that comes anywhere NEAR 48 inches long I want to see it. The largest one's you should find are the size of a dinner plate, but I usually go for ones that are half that size and then let them grow.
 
L8 2 Rise, I have actually seen greens about half that big. I would not call them nasty though, just needing their own tanks after they reach a certain age. When they are small, they are very dosile. Even after they grow, hermits chew up their arms. Mr. Green Jeans lived with my cephs for a long time. He had been shuttled from tank to tank for years because something always picked on him. He now lives by himself in the nano because I can't trust him not to go night foraging and catching anything he can find but the aggression only started about a year ago and he is the oldest saltwater critter I have. For years I did not believe there was only one species, in spite of all my reading.

Most serpents will get to be about 10" arm tip to arm tip and some of the brittles will get even longer arms but the bodies are small and they will be quite comfortable in even a tall 55. I particularly like my orange brittles (Pesky and Pesky Too) as they have a lot of personality and are fun to feed and watch. They learn not to be overly timid and will reach out for food if you hold it near them (sometimes when you are offering it to something else). I see these two out in the day (early evening) sometimes even when not feeding them. I have worked a little with Pesky Too to see if he will accept being touched by my finger but the results are still out on any kind of intentional interaction. Ken and Kara as well a Lynn have some in stock at the moment if you would like to read up on them. Lynn is also showing Thorny's available if you want to see one. Should you place an order with either, please do mention TONMO and my name (D, octo webmaster or anything close is fine). I don't get kick backs but I like to remind them that I do more than webmaster for good, ethical collectors :wink:
 
Thanks! ya, i was refering to the stars when i said them. I will definetly let Lyn or Ken and Kara if i order from them know you sent me! My idea for the tank is sorta cheesey but i like it. Kind of an "octopuses garden theme" with a bunch of corals (all over the tank spread apart on the live rock) surrounding a Kenyan Tree coral in the middle. Of coarse there will be lotsa swimming room for cuttles! thanks allot again!
 

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