Starfish For A 29 Gallon Reef?

[penguinpimp1990]

Soon ill will start my 29 gallon reef with a 20 gallon sump. Is there any star that stays small enough to easily live in a 29 gallon tank?

 

[Aquascaper]

Not that are recommended, the sandbed will be too small to maintain a healthy satrfish IMO. Add to that it is also not recommended to put one in a tank less than 6 months old.

 

[penguinpimp1990]

how deep of a sandbed would they require?

 

[Aquascaper]

It's not depth they require its area. Starfish scavenge the seabed for food, if you place them in a small tank with a tiny area of sand they won't have much to scavenge on. This is why a lot of starfish in smaller tanks end up on the glass looking for food which some people take to mean that are algae grazers (some starfish will eat algae but the majority don't). The sandbed also has to be mature enough as well as large enough as a newly setup tank will not have enough food in the sand for them to scavenge, feeding the tank is just not enough to support them, this is why it is recommended to wait at least 6 months for the sand to populate.

 

[SkiFletch]

what about something like a bristle star?

 

[Aquascaper]

As they prefer rockwork to scavenge in a large sandbed is not the issue but actual amount of rock. Again, the tank has to be mature though.

 

[penguinpimp1990]

in 6 months or so, with a deep live sand bed, would it be able to support a marble sea star? apparantly they only grow to 3 inches.

 

[Aquascaper]

Get the 'deep' idea out of your head, as I said before its sand area that starfish require, not depth. As long as you have a decent area of sand, the tank has matured (good population of pods) then a small starfish is possible, I would however choose a different species as the Marble Starfish is not very hardy and like most starfish will not tolerate sudden imbalances in water chemistry such as pH & SG, the two things that are most likely to fluctuate when doing water changes especially in small tanks. IMO you'd be better looking at something a little hardier like an Orange starfish (Echinaster sp.) which stays about the same size as the Marble starfish. Unfortunately all small starfish are not very hardy and the hardy ones such as Sand Sifters, Serpents and Brittles all get far to big for a Nano.

In short starfish are not recommended for Nano tanks but if you do choose to get one be extremely careful when acclimatising it - the drip method is the only way to do this and the longer the better. Starfish, like Anenomes, can die very quickly and dis-integrate releasing toxins into your tank that will wipe it out without warning. It goes without saying that you will have to keep the water in pristene condition and this could be hard as the starfish may need occassional target feeding. This is why I think the Orange starfish would be the better option as it can get by on algae wafers & seaweed as a supplement whereas the Marble starfish will need shrimp and mussel due to its more carnivorous appetite. The one thing you don't want to be doing in a Nano is adding meaty foods when trying to keep water quality pristene.

Whatever you do, research the Starfish and shop for it rather than going to the LFS and just buying one that looks pretty

 

[steelhealr]

Aquascaper is dead on and I agree totally with him. As much as we'd all love to have one, you just can't keep a sea star in a nano tank. The animal will starve and slowly. If that isn't enough to help you decide, then, the resulting tank crash when it dies will make you regret the day you bought it. It disintegrates quickly and will nuke all the work you've done for the year. SH

 

[penguinpimp1990]

i have got "deep sand bed" out of my head, i thought that at 3 inches a 29 gallon tank be sufficient and the area would have been sufficient. obviously i am wrong

Whatever you do, research the Starfish and shop for it rather than going to the LFS and just buying one that looks pretty

i am not a newb to fishkeeping, but i am a newb to reefs, and I wouldnt not research a fish before buying, thats why i was asking about them here. and i dont appreciate the attitude as i have done nothing but ask a simple question

 

[Navarre]

i think what aqua and the rest are trying to point out is that its not the depth of sand that is i portant (well it is for filtration but that is another matter) but the surface area. You tank has a specific surface area and it makes no difference if the sand is 1inch deep or 3ft deep, the surface area remains the same. Most stars (with perhaps the exception of a sand sifter) only hunt on the surface so no mater how deep the sand is it makes little difference really. Life can only live in about the 1st 3 inches of sand before it becomes too low in oxygen to support life (not bacteria of course) but even then we are talking about a very small patchof sand for a creature that has a high appetite.

I would strongly advise against any form of str as it will only be a potential time bomb in your system. A smallsystem will not recover fast enough should it die when you are out.. believe me if you are out for the day and it starts to fall apart during this time, you wont have much left of the starfish when you return and the rest of the tanks inhabitants will be dieing also.

 

[Aquascaper]

how deep of a sandbed would they require?

It's not depth they require its area.

in 6 months or so, with a deep live sand bed

Get the 'deep' idea out of your head, as I said before its sand area that starfish require, not depth.

There was a trend developing in your questions, i'm sorry for trying to make it clear that it is area and not depth of sand that matters, there was no 'attitude' attached.

Whatever you do, research the Starfish and shop for it rather than going to the LFS and just buying one that looks pretty

Notice the winking smilie............I was not trying to infer that you would personally, it was more of a general comment to all

 

[penguinpimp1990]

QUOTE(penguinpimp1990 @ Mar 2 2006, 12:21 PM)

how deep of a sandbed would they require?


QUOTE(Aquascaper @ Mar 2 2006, 01:38 PM)

It's not depth they require its area.


QUOTE(penguinpimp1990 @ Mar 2 2006, 08:14 PM)

in 6 months or so, with a deep live sand bed


QUOTE(Aquascaper @ Mar 2 2006, 10:11 PM)

Get the 'deep' idea out of your head, as I said before its sand area that starfish require, not depth.

There was a trend developing in your questions, i'm sorry for trying to make it clear that it is area and not depth of sand that matters, there was no 'attitude' attached.

QUOTE(Aquascaper @ Mar 2 2006, 10:11 PM)

Whatever you do, research the Starfish and shop for it rather than going to the LFS and just buying one that looks pretty

Notice the winking smilie............I was not trying to infer that you would personally, it was more of a general comment to all

if you read the whole post

in 6 months or so, with a deep live sand bed, would it be able to support a marble sea star? apparantly they only grow to 3 inches.

i meant would the area of a 29 gallon tank support the star, and i thought the deep sand bed would only help things. When you say whatever YOU do research the star before buying any old one you feel doesnt seem like a general statement to all even with the winking smiley. The "get the idea of a deep sand bed out of your head" statement does seem like attitude to me. If you intended to give no attitude i apologize for assuming, but it sure did seem that way.

 

[Matthew5664]

come on people this isn't a playground grow up a little!

I've just got home from the pub full of lager drinks pissheads that where just like this and I feel we should all just leave it in the pub where it belongs.

This board is for helping others throug experianc if that experiance is not wanted don't ask and your not going to take the advice don't post the question!!

sorry already for the spelling but this is post pbu tyep!

 

[Aquascaper]

Well actually after re-reading my post I do stand by the original statement but I will expand it to its full:

Make sure you, penguinpimp1990, research any Starfish that you are considering putting into such a small space. Once you have found one that you deem suitable and that you are prepared to risk your whole tanks welfare over then go to an LFS and get that exact species of starfish, do not be tempted by a more colourful one or one that you have not researched, ie. an impulse buy, as this can and will lead to disaster.

I feel the original one had less 'attitude' but whatever gets the point across I suppose