Happy 1 Year Anniversary to My Fromia indica Star!

[livinlifeinBKK]

It's been a full year now since purchasing my first Fromia indica starfish and I'm overjoyed to report to everyone that he (or she) seems to be doing very well. When I first bought her I had no idea what I was getting into tbh due to trusting the words of the shop owner i bought it from but after a LOT of research and hard work I'm very happy to say that it's still going strong. Still continuing my research study to discover as much as I can about these starfish (and perhaps gain insight into the needs of other species) in hopes of helping other hobbyists who want to keep these amazing creatures.

 

[Timfish]

 

[Eagle_Steve]

It's been a full year now since purchasing my first Fromia indica starfish and I'm overjoyed to report to everyone that he (or she) seems to be doing very well. When I first bought her I had no idea what I was getting into tbh due to trusting the words of the shop owner i bought it from but after a LOT of research and hard work I'm very happy to say that it's still going strong. Still continuing my research study to discover as much as I can about these starfish (and perhaps gain insight into the needs of other species) in hopes of helping other hobbyists who want to keep these amazing creatures.View attachment 2993340

Heck ya!!!! Great job there and a years worth of data collected is nice, as well.

 

[revhtree]

That’s quite the accomplishment! Thank you for sharing and congrats! Please keep us updated on your care regimen for it!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

That’s quite the accomplishment! Thank you for sharing and congrats! Please keep us updated on your care regimen for it!

I certainly will! I have a true passion for this hobby and whatever i can contribute to further progress our understanding and husbandry requirements for these guys I'd love to offer!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Congrats on keeping it for a year!! Keep up the good work!

 

[dennis romano]

Nice Job.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Wow that's fantastic! Congratulations.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Thank you so much everyone for all the "nice work" and "congrats" on my success up to this point! I really feel that this highlights the importance of hobbyists' research and efforts which I believe are of critical importance for the advancement not only of the hobby but to add to existing knowledge regarding organisms such as these which have been studied very little to say the least. It might be hard to believe but there has been very little scientifically documented information regarding this species of starfish as well as many others (likely due to the fact that they're not keystone species, do not pose an environmental threat such as the crown of thorns starfish does, or currently appear to have much of importance to offer for the development of pharmaceuticals or other products of human interest). This last reason mentioned may start to change in the near future, however, as many unique secondary metabolites have recently been discovered as well as possible uses of saponins which are produced by some genera of starfish.

 

[EricR]

Good job.
I'm on 6 months with my first Fromia star and it still seems healthy.
I've heard the notion that they'll often starve and wonder what the likely time frame is on that but, for now, so far so good.

 

[JSR]

Well.....what did you do?
Feed it directly?

 

[code4]

I am considering one also. How old is the aquarium it is in? Do you target feed anything? Is the tank slightly on the dirty side? Algae? Tell me as much as you can please. I have 3 tanks and should be able to find a good fit for one. Hopefully.....

Shelley

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I am considering one also. How old is the aquarium it is in? Do you target feed anything? Is the tank slightly on the dirty side? Algae? Tell me as much as you can please. I have 3 tanks and should be able to find a good fit for one. Hopefully.....

Shelley

Shelly, I'd be more than happy to tell you all i can but since I included this starfish in an independent research study (making a sample size of 3 F. indica stars in total) and my report is going to be published in a magazine next month there's only so much information I'm supposed to be freely sharing in accordance with the publication's rules/regulations. I can tell you that yes, I've been target feeding it along with the other two stars and the tank they've been housed in isn't very old (although it was started with all wild harvested live rock sourced from the same geographical location as the starfish). Pertaining to the study, I've been tracking weight for quantitative analysis of health and have had very promising results! They aren't strictly herbivores btw, so algae would be highly unlikely to make a difference imo. They feed on biofilm and it's not known what constituents of the biofilm are most important for health which is something I'm trying to shed light on with my research. One thing I would caution you to watch closely for ime is the oxygenation of the tank. If they congregate near the surface and stretch their arms out theyre seeking oxygen. Another concern is Sea Star Wasting Disease which is thought to be caused by excessive buildup of copiotrophic bacteria on the surface of the starfish which inhibits gas exchange (basically suffocating the starfish). When my report is published soon I'll let you know so you can give it a read.

 

[Poseidon03]

Shelly, I'd be more than happy to tell you all i can but since I included this starfish in an independent research study (making a sample size of 3 F. indica stars in total) and my report is going to be published in a magazine next month there's only so much information I'm supposed to be freely sharing in accordance with the publication's rules/regulations. I can tell you that yes, I've been target feeding it along with the other two stars and the tank they've been housed in isn't very old (although it was started with all wild harvested live rock sourced from the same geographical location as the starfish). Pertaining to the study, I've been tracking weight for quantitative analysis of health and have had very promising results! They aren't strictly herbivores btw, so algae would be highly unlikely to make a difference imo. They feed on biofilm and it's not known what constituents of the biofilm are most important for health which is something I'm trying to shed light on with my research. One thing I would caution you to watch closely for ime is the oxygenation of the tank. If they congregate near the surface and stretch their arms out theyre seeking oxygen. Another concern is Sea Star Wasting Disease which is thought to be caused by excessive buildup of copiotrophic bacteria on the surface of the starfish which inhibits gas exchange (basically suffocating the starfish). When my report is published soon I'll let you know so you can give it a read.

How soon is it being published? Any specifics on what you feed? I'd love to know!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

How soon is it being published? Any specifics on what you feed? I'd love to know!

Its now been published in UltraMarine Magazine and you can buy the individual issue digitally for just $5. I discuss in detail the feeding regimen, foods offered, why we can't recreate their natural food source in our tanks, and other observations i made. I encourage you to read it and you can DM me any questions you may have regarding anything related to the article.

 

[Neptune 555]

Shelly, I'd be more than happy to tell you all i can but since I included this starfish in an independent research study (making a sample size of 3 F. indica stars in total) and my report is going to be published in a magazine next month there's only so much information I'm supposed to be freely sharing in accordance with the publication's rules/regulations. I can tell you that yes, I've been target feeding it along with the other two stars and the tank they've been housed in isn't very old (although it was started with all wild harvested live rock sourced from the same geographical location as the starfish). Pertaining to the study, I've been tracking weight for quantitative analysis of health and have had very promising results! They aren't strictly herbivores btw, so algae would be highly unlikely to make a difference imo. They feed on biofilm and it's not known what constituents of the biofilm are most important for health which is something I'm trying to shed light on with my research. One thing I would caution you to watch closely for ime is the oxygenation of the tank. If they congregate near the surface and stretch their arms out theyre seeking oxygen. Another concern is Sea Star Wasting Disease which is thought to be caused by excessive buildup of copiotrophic bacteria on the surface of the starfish which inhibits gas exchange (basically suffocating the starfish). When my report is published soon I'll let you know so you can give it a read.

Yes my starfish hangs out at the top of my tank …. But at the top of my tank I have a line of green algae / film… and think the starfish is eating the film/ algae?? What supports the theory that they need oxygen? How would that help w oxygen? Interested??

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Yes my starfish hangs out at the top of my tank …. But at the top of my tank I have a line of green algae / film… and think the starfish is eating the film/ algae?? What supports the theory that they need oxygen? How would that help w oxygen? Interested??

Sorry for my last comment! I really thought you were trying to troll me for whatever reason! I'd happily explain it to you...can you DM me?