How to feed starfish?

[ssunthar]

Hi experts, as there is no Starfish specific threads i am posting it here.

Do we need to feed starfish? If so, how do we feed them?

Here is mine..... moving around the tank so much not sure if he is looking for food and he has enough in the tank.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Part of the reason that 99% of starfish don't survive long term (they starve after 6 months to a year) in fish tanks is because we don't know much about what they eat

 

[redfishbluefish]

@xxkenny90xx said it......most starve. You need to feed starfish! They won't survive off of scraps. And most starfish are meat eaters, not algae eaters.

Go to your local fish monger and buy a dozen clams. Regular clams, nothing fancy. Throw them in your freezer. When ready to feed ( a couple times a week) open a clam and cut off a chunk. Put the remaining back in the freeze for another feeding. You can use forceps to get the clam piece close to the starfish. It will "smell" the clam and come and get it from you.

 

[JosephM]

I dont have a starfish but my brother has a chocolate chip starfish. He’ll go to the top of the tank and ‘throw himself back’ (reveals his mouth basically) when he is hungry. Just grab a krill and place it close to his mouth and he’ll grab onto it. I don’t know much about others ones but chocolate chips are definitely meat eaters and not reef safe and love to be fed

 

[ssunthar]

Part of the reason that 99% of starfish don't survive long term (they starve after 6 months to a year) in fish tanks is because we don't know much about what they eat

 

[ssunthar]

@xxkenny90xx said it......most starve. You need to feed starfish! They won't survive off of scraps. And most starfish are meat eaters, not algae eaters.

Go to your local fish monger and buy a dozen clams. Regular clams, nothing fancy. Throw them in your freezer. When ready to feed ( a couple times a week) open a clam and cut off a chunk. Put the remaining back in the freeze for another feeding. You can use forceps to get the clam piece close to the starfish. It will "smell" the clam and come and get it from you.

I am going to do that from now on.. thanks.

 

[ssunthar]

I dont have a starfish but my brother has a chocolate chip starfish. He’ll go to the top of the tank and ‘throw himself back’ (reveals his mouth basically) when he is hungry. Just grab a krill and place it close to his mouth and he’ll grab onto it. I don’t know much about others ones but chocolate chips are definitely meat eaters and not reef safe and love to be fed

Thank you for sharing

 

[Alexopora]

Hi experts, as there is no Starfish specific threads i am posting it here.

Do we need to feed starfish? If so, how do we feed them?

Here is mine..... moving around the tank so much not sure if he is looking for food and he has enough in the tank.

View attachment 2029143

Starfish generally consume mollusks, corals, anemones, other echinoderms (stars, urchins, sea cucumbers etc). Like others have suggested, you will have to experiment and guess what your starfish likes. Clams, crustaceans. A much easier starfish would be the sand sifting starfish as those normally feed on on small organisms living in the sandbed. The only issue is that the starfish will wipe clean your sandbed of any life and will ultimately starve if you dont have a large enough sandbed. Best of luck with yours. It’s a really beautiful starfish.

 

[ssunthar]

Starfish generally consume mollusks, corals, anemones, other echinoderms (stars, urchins, sea cucumbers etc). Like others have suggested, you will have to experiment and guess what your starfish likes. Clams, crustaceans. A much easier starfish would be the sand sifting starfish as those normally feed on on small organisms living in the sandbed. The only issue is that the starfish will wipe clean your sandbed of any life and will ultimately starve if you dont have a large enough sandbed. Best of luck with yours. It’s a really beautiful starfish.

Wow.. does that mean my corals are in danger? So far i didn't see mine disturbing my corals so much. I guess thats what happened to my sand sifter last year... it died a silent death. Thank you very much.

 

[Alexopora]

Wow.. does that mean my corals are in danger? So far i didn't see mine disturbing my corals so much. I guess thats what happened to my sand sifter last year... it died a silent death. Thank you very much.

So far, the only stars that I know prey on corals...and to be specific stony corals, are crown of thorns (COTS), certain asterinas and chocolate chips. Obviously COTS would hardly be in anyone’s tank given its destructiveness but choc chips have a reputation of feasting on sps especially. Yours doesn’t look like a coral eater and more of either a crustacean or mollusk eater. So just beware if you have any prized clams.

 

[ssunthar]

So far, the only stars that I know prey on corals...and to be specific stony corals, are crown of thorns (COTS), certain asterinas and chocolate chips. Obviously COTS would hardly be in anyone’s tank given its destructiveness but choc chips have a reputation of feasting on sps especially. Yours doesn’t look like a coral eater and more of either a crustacean or mollusk eater. So just beware if you have any prized clams.

Thank you very much

 

[1guydude]

I never had good luck with blue, orange, or purple linkia. Fwiw i always had better success with formia species of stars.
Most melt to alk and salt swings. Your doing great. Keep at it. Feed that monster!
Lol
D

 

[Alexopora]

If you do have a liking for echinoderms (stars, urchins etc), you could try brittlestars/serpentstars. Those are easier to care for interms of dietary needs and hang mostly at the bottom underneath your rockwork. The only issue is that these generally only come out once the lights are out which may defeat the purpose of observing them.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

If you do have a liking for echinoderms (stars, urchins etc), you could try brittlestars/serpentstars. Those are easier to care for interms of dietary needs and hang mostly at the bottom underneath your rockwork. The only issue is that these generally only come out once the lights are out which may defeat the purpose of observing them.

Good call, those are great reef dwellers. But even they frequently get neglected and really should be target fed occasionally

 

[ssunthar]

Good call, those are great reef dwellers. But even they frequently get neglected and really should be target fed occasionally

Oh... I also have a banded brittle sea star in my tank and I never fed it anything so far... poor guy... i should start feeding him. Thanks.

 

[ssunthar]

Oh... I also have a banded brittle sea star in my tank and I never fed it anything so far... poor guy... i should start feeding him. Thanks.

View attachment 2029617

I experimented target feeding chopped clam to my 2 stars.. the banded brittle seemed excited and took the clam (but not sure if it ate it as i saw a few small pieces floating around... not sure if the pieces were too big). However, my red star not interested at all and not even taking it even after i tried placing it near its mouth a few times. Any suggestions/recommendations on what i should be trying next? Thanks in advance.

 

[JosephM]

I experimented target feeding chopped clam to my 2 stars.. the banded brittle seemed excited and took the clam (but not sure if it ate it as i saw a few small pieces floating around... not sure if the pieces were too big). However, my red star not interested at all and not even taking it even after i tried placing it near its mouth a few times. Any suggestions/recommendations on what i should be trying next? Thanks in advance.

I’ll recommend krill as stated before. My LFS said sometimes you might even have to pin the food down with the starfish to basically ‘force’ them to eat. Sounds cruel but you gotta feed them or as others have said, they’ll starve.

 

[ssunthar]

I’ll recommend krill as stated before. My LFS said sometimes you might even have to pin the food down with the starfish to basically ‘force’ them to eat. Sounds cruel but you gotta feed them or as others have said, they’ll starve.

Thanks, will give it a try

 

[ssunthar]

Thanks, will give it a try

A quick update.. my red star started eating small pieces of clam placed at it's mouth... yay.

 

[ssunthar]

A quick update.. my red star started eating small pieces of clam placed at it's mouth... yay.

Here are pics....