Chocolate Chip Sea Star in my Refugium?

[travis_]

I am thinking about getting a Choco chip starfish for my refugium. I know they are not reef safe, but anyone see an issue with one in my refugium? I do have 2 sea cucumbers in my refugium, but otherwise no critters.

thanks,

 

[Herefishyfishy]

You will have to keep it fed there

 

[returnofsid]

Not only will you have to feed it, it might end up "sterilizing" your fuge, by eating all the beneficial things you want in a fuge.

 

[mike1441]

Too much of a hassle

 

[DonW]

Great shrimp food!

Don

 

[returnofsid]

I agree!! I've been thinking about getting a pair of Harlequin shrimp ever since seeing Herefishy's. I just don't know if they'd eat a CC star all up before it could eat corals...or if I'd have to leave it in sump and cut a leg off now and then.

 

[DonW]

I agree!! I've been thinking about getting a pair of Harlequin shrimp ever since seeing Herefishy's. I just don't know if they'd eat a CC star all up before it could eat corals...or if I'd have to leave it in sump and cut a leg off now and then.

I guess if you got small one they would get eaten pretty quick. I think the idea is that they regrow the limbs quick so you have a steady supply of food. I'd ask Mike but this is what I understood.

Don

 

[small alien]

I don't mean to be a smarta**, but, why? They are cool looking.

 

[returnofsid]

Small Alien....why what? Chocolate Chip stars may be cool looking, but can quickly eat every coral in your tank.

 

[oldsaint]

They're pretty tough on snails also...lol

 

[travis_]

thanks for all the info, you all have convinced me to stay away from them.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I guess if you got small one they would get eaten pretty quick. I think the idea is that they regrow the limbs quick so you have a steady supply of food. I'd ask Mike but this is what I understood.

Don

Ya, once the shrimp get hold of it, it is upside down and fully immobile. And they will grab it within a couple minutes of introduction.

I have tried the rotating starfish feeder method. Cut off a leg on one star and let it regrow while you move to the next star. Works fine if you remember to keep them fed down in the sump I rarely remember though..

 

[returnofsid]

Herefishy, is there any worry of the Shrimp not fully consuming the starfish and the starfish becoming a danger to corals? That would be my only worry of tossing the entire starfish in.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Once the shrimp grabs the star, they will never let it go.
If you pull the star out of the tank, you will be pulling the shrimp out with it.
I think they paralyze it somehow and hold onto their meal for life

 

[ac7av]

I have one in my fuge. I throw a frozen shrimp in there a couple times a week to make sure its fed. It doesn’t seem to bother much in there but the fuge is bigger then a lot of tanks. I also have a live cleaner shrimp and lots of pods and worms and macro algae too. If you didn’t offer it something once in a while I would probably eat whatever it can and before too long there would not be much left but if your already feeding the fish just throw some in for the starfish. That doesn’t seem like a hassle to me.