Micro Basket Starfish

[Kittenslim]

Micro Basket Starfish I found the two threads discussing Micro Basket Starfish hitchhiking in on Gorgonions to be very helpful. It sounds like they did well in both situations.

Mine attached herself to a Montipora, so I moved her next to a Gorgonian and it was obvious she preferred it to the Montipora. I’m wondering if they have a symbiotic relationship.

I thought it might be helpful to post this info here. Not sure if the video works, but it shows how quickly (for a starfish) she moved.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Micro Basket Starfish I found the two threads discussing Micro Basket Starfish hitchhiking in on Gorgonions to be very helpful. It sounds like they did well in both situations.

Mine attached herself to a Montipora, so I moved her next to a Gorgonian and it was obvious she preferred it to the Montipora. I’m wondering if they have a symbiotic relationship.

I thought it might be helpful to post this info here. Not sure if the video works, but it shows how quickly (for a starfish) she moved.

They use gorgonians to remain well hidden but not as a source of food to my knowledge. Living for months isn't "very well". Where did you hear they did well?

 

[Kittenslim]

Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s too much info available, particularly about the “Micros.” You’re right months probably isn’t the best metric, but the guy who has one that’s doing well at 9 months seems worth paying attention to.

I have quite a few filter feeders and hatch bbs to feed, along with phyto and pods, so I’m not relying on the gorgonian. It probably is just camouflage, but I tend towards curiosity and try to keep an open mind when it comes to these situations.

Good luck with your sea apple, I had one for a few years before my tank crashed. It was very happy with bbs.

They use gorgonians to remain well hidden but not as a source of food to my knowledge. Living for months isn't "very well". Where did you hear they did well?

Micro Basket Starfish I found the two threads discussing Micro Basket Starfish hitchhiking in on Gorgonions to be very helpful. It sounds like they did well in both situations.

Mine attached herself to a Montipora, so I moved her next to a Gorgonian and it was obvious she preferred it to the Montipora. I’m wondering if they have a symbiotic relationship.

I thought it might be helpful to post this info here. Not sure if the video works, but it shows how quickly (for a starfish) she moved.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s too much info available, particularly about the “Micros.” You’re right months probably isn’t the best metric, but the guy who has one that’s doing well at 9 months seems worth paying attention to.

I have quite a few filter feeders and hatch bbs to feed, along with phyto and pods, so I’m not relying on the gorgonian. It probably is just camouflage, but I tend towards curiosity and try to keep an open mind when it comes to these situations.

Good luck with your sea apple, I had one for a few years before my tank crashed. It was very happy with bbs.

Thanks! Does the basket star appear to be the same species as the one you mentioned has made it 9 months so far? They can be pretty tricky to identify, however, diets of basket stars can vary greatly by species. Just for example, some feed from sediment, other species catch particulate matter such as marine snow as the currents deliver it, and others have different feeding methods and diets. If you get a few good pics I'd be willing to try help you identify the species and its diet which might help in the long run. (Echinoderms have been a particular interest of mine for a very long time now if you can't tell haha!)

 

[Kittenslim]

Thanks! Does the basket star appear to be the same species as the one you mentioned has made it 9 months so far? They can be pretty tricky to identify, however, diets of basket stars can vary greatly by species. Just for example, some feed from sediment, other species catch particulate matter such as marine snow as the currents deliver it, and others have different feeding methods and diets. If you get a few good pics I'd be willing to try help you identify the species and its diet which might help in the long run. (Echinoderms have been a particular interest of mine for a very long time now if you can't tell haha!)

I believe it’s a juvenile Astrophyton muricatum, so it will probably get pretty big if I can keep it alive. Would you agree?

Currently it seems to prefer frozen cyclopods and live Tisbe pods to phyto. After further reading, it sounds like they feed on gorgonian mucus and pests. When they get bigger, they’ll eat mysis and larger meaty foods along with coral food.

I’m open to suggestions. I’ll have fresh bbs tomorrow and may just keep them in a small container next to the tank so I can feed it frequently. It was stretched out after the tank lights were off and so I fed it. I could see it grabbing the pods as they floated by.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I believe it’s a juvenile Astrophyton muricatum, so it will probably get pretty big if I can keep it alive. Would you agree?

Currently it seems to prefer frozen cyclopods and live Tisbe pods to phyto. After further reading, it sounds like they feed on gorgonian mucus and pests. When they get bigger, they’ll eat mysis and larger meaty foods along with coral food.

I’m open to suggestions. I’ll have fresh bbs tomorrow and may just keep them in a small container next to the tank so I can feed it frequently. It was stretched out after the tank lights were off and so I fed it. I could see it grabbing the pods as they floated by.

The species you suspect it may be sounds possible and that species does feed on copepods, other zooplankton, and particulate matter that the moderate to strong current delivers to it. Maintaining that flow might be difficult. it appears that it is detrimental if too strong and detrimental if too week. I couldn't find anything pertaining to it feeding on gorgonian mucus or pests.

You're going to need to do some experimenting to determine the ideal flow which will allow it to capture food as well as the particle size it can best capture. It's not impossible but I wouldn't expect much growth very quickly. Just experiment and observe.