Fire Shrimp & Starfish Queries!

[marineruss]

Had my tank for 2 months now, which is 180Litres and running at correct Alk/Temp, although the PH is a little high at 8.4.

I have 2 damsels in it and a spitfire plane(Absolutely great), also 4 bits of live rock.

I bought a Fire Shrimp this weekend and it just stays inside the spitfire! - Seems happy enough but I would prefer to get it running around in the tank rather than hidden!! - Would introducing another help that - Any other ideas to get it more interactive???

Also bought 2 starfish that burrow into the gravel and eat any waste and turn it over, as i had some brown algae on the seabed.

One of the starfish is 25% bigger than the other, and sometimes the smaller one goes rigid and sits on the seabed. Earlier I thought it was dead as it hadnt moved for an hour and half(No suckers moving or anything) I thought i would try moving it and it started moving again - Is this just a territorial thing or a Starfish behaviour!!

Any thoughts would be appreciated

 

[STD]

Had my tank for 2 months now, which is 180Litres and running at correct Alk/Temp, although the PH is a little high at 8.4.

I have 2 damsels in it and a spitfire plane(Absolutely great), also 4 bits of live rock.

I bought a Fire Shrimp this weekend and it just stays inside the spitfire! - Seems happy enough but I would prefer to get it running around in the tank rather than hidden!! - Would introducing another help that - Any other ideas to get it more interactive???

Also bought 2 starfish that burrow into the gravel and eat any waste and turn it over, as i had some brown algae on the seabed.

One of the starfish is 25% bigger than the other, and sometimes the smaller one goes rigid and sits on the seabed. Earlier I thought it was dead as it hadnt moved for an hour and half(No suckers moving or anything) I thought i would try moving it and it started moving again - Is this just a territorial thing or a Starfish behaviour!!

Any thoughts would be appreciated

fire shrimps are very shy - just normal behaviour

It is also normal sandsifting starfish behaviour

 

[svirid]

I would add one more fire shrimp, when fire shrimp alone in the tank it becomes depressed.

 

[Lynden]

Sandsifting starfish - not something I'd recommend for a new tank (or any tank). They tend to be hyperefficient and can clear a 100 gallon tank of substrate fauna in weeks. After which they starve to death and rot under the sand causing a massive ammonia surge, which will probably kill off any decorative organism and most of the life on the live rock.

 

[1entra]

I would get another fire shrimp!

 

[Musho3210]

Sandsifting starfish - not something I'd recommend for a new tank (or any tank). They tend to be hyperefficient and can clear a 100 gallon tank of substrate fauna in weeks. After which they starve to death and rot under the sand causing a massive ammonia surge, which will probably kill off any decorative organism and most of the life on the live rock.

aka, nuking....

 

[marineruss]

Cheers for your advise people

Shrimp is still hiding away but ill try and get another this weekend to keep him company