Starfish id

[HAAAAAAAA]

My lfs usually sends me photos of what is in stock usually by holding in hand, I've found this starfish to be quite beautiful and now my mom wants it Lol

@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[Lavey29]

Maybe a red cushion sea star. Starfish require very mature stable tanks and expert care or they rarely survive very long.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I've never seen one of those. Nice!

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

Maybe a red cushion sea star. Starfish require very mature stable tanks and expert care or they rarely survive very long.

My 210g is about 2 years long so I'll try since this will be my first time caring for a starfish, the red cushion sea star is quite beautiful but I sadly don't see the similarity

 

[Lavey29]

My 210g is about 2 years long so I'll try since this will be my first time caring for a starfish, the red cushion sea star is quite beautiful but I sadly don't see the similarity

You should be fine them depending on the type of starfish and it's care requirement. Mine lasted over 3 years.

Ask @livinlifeinBKK. He knows starfish

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

My lfs usually sends me photos of what is in stock usually by holding in hand, I've found this starfish to be quite beautiful and now my mom wants it Lol

@ISpeakForTheSeas

That seems to be an Anthenea species of some variety - I only know three species from around India, so that narrows it down if it's from your area:

-Anthenea pentagonula

-Anthenea regalis

-Anthenea rudis

I would guess yours is A. pentagonula, but I don't know for sure (the only taxonomic key info I've found is from the 90's and is seriously outdated).

For comparison, though, here's a specimen that looks remarkably similar:

Loading…

journal.nsm.or.th

The picture is from here:

ข่าวสาร | Journals and Books

journal.nsm.or.th

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

That seems to be an Anthenea species of some variety - I only know three species from around India, so that narrows it down if it's from your area:

-Anthenea pentagonula

-Anthenea regalis

-Anthenea rudis

I would guess yours is A. pentagonula, but I don't know for sure (the only taxonomic key info I've found is from the 90's and is seriously outdated).

For comparison, though, here's a specimen that looks remarkably similar:

Loading…

journal.nsm.or.th

The picture is from here:

ข่าวสาร | Journals and Books

journal.nsm.or.th

Thank you so much! I knew that I could always count on you when it comes to identifications!

May i know it's diet? If it comes to being carnivorous I have no problem in feeding it (my freezer is full of eel foods)

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thank you so much! I knew that I could always count on you when it comes to identifications!

May i know it's diet? If it comes to being carnivorous I have no problem in feeding it (my freezer is full of eel foods)

Unfortunately, none of the species in the genus have had their diets studied, and their relatives at the family level have surprisingly diverse diets including eating macroalgae, coralline algae, diatoms, corals, detritus, slow-moving inverts (particularly urchins and sessile inverts), and biofilms - I don't know if any are traditionally carnivorous, but every specimen I'm aware of has exhibited at least opportunistic predation, especially in aquariums (so they'll probably eat at least some meat).

Guessing based on stars with similar body shapes from the family (Oreasteridae), I would assume it would be primarily either herbivorous/biofilm-feeding or detritivorous/biofilm-feeding, but I can't rule out corallivory unfortunately.

Regardless, it would likely prefer access to coralline algae, macroalgae, and/or sea grass, as well as some sand and rocks.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

To add, if it primarily feeds on biofilms, it'll probably starve in time - some star species last longer than others, but I wouldn't expect more than 4-5 years max for even the longer-lived-in-aquaria, biofilm-feeding species.

Also, here are some signs to watch for to help track starfish health:

Some ways to potentially gauge the health of the starfish that may be useful:
1 - Visual: is anything visually wrong with the specimen? (From what I know of starfish, these cues are generally pretty obvious if they're there at all - if the starfish is disintegrating, there's something wrong).
2 - Weight: is the specimen putting on or maintaining weight (generally healthy), or is it losing weight (under most circumstances, this would be unhealthy)?
3 - Size/Length: if it's not already full size, is the specimen growing? Is it shrinking (either from weight loss, disease, limb loss, etc.)?
4 - Reproduction: is the specimen engaging in reproductive behaviors/activities (i.e. courting, nesting, spawning, etc.)? (I recognize this one is not as common of an indicator in captive starfish at this point, but there are a few instances of starfish attempting to spawn in captivity).
5 - Longevity: is the specimen relatively close to meeting, actually meeting, or exceeding their expected wild lifespan (or at least surviving for a few years - healthy), or is the specimen dead/dying prior to doing so (unhealthy)?
6 - Speed: how quickly can the specimen right itself when it's flipped over?
7 - Level of activity: how much is the specimen moving around? (Generally speaking, low activity indicates poor health; moderate activity indicates good health; and high activity indicates good health but probable stress - it could be searching for food, oxygen, etc., but it's probably not in terrible health when moving a lot).
8 - Grip strength: does the specimen have a strong hold/grip with its tube feet? (A strong grip indicates good health, a weak grip indicates poor health).
9 - Willingness to eat: is the specimen eating? (Seems obvious, but can be really hard to tell with some stars - some stars leave little trails called feeding scars through the things they're eating; sometimes you can see their everted stomachs; other times, like if they're feeding on biofilm, you may not be able to tell at all - them crawling onto visible food is a good sign they're willing to eat, but - as mentioned above - the food may or may not meet their nutritional needs).

And a final note on starfish keeping:

One important thing to keep in mind with foods for these guys - just because they eat it, doesn't mean it's meeting their nutritional needs; it might be, but it might not be. With how long it seems to take these guys to starve, unless you're monitoring their health closely, you might not notice if it's not meeting their needs until it's too late.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

To add, if it primarily feeds on biofilms, it'll probably starve in time - some star species last longer than others, but I wouldn't expect more than 4-5 years max for even the longer-lived-in-aquaria, biofilm-feeding species.

Also, here are some signs to watch for to help track starfish health:

And a final note on starfish keeping:

I appreciate the input, I guess I have to change my mind concerning this species, it may be beautiful but not so much if it can't live happily, i am glad that I came across someone who is well versed and knowledgeable regarding these sea creatures and for that you have my gratitude

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I appreciate the input, I guess I have to change my mind concerning this species, it may be beautiful but not so much if it can't live happily, i am glad that I came across someone who is well versed and knowledgeable regarding these sea creatures and for that you have my gratitude

It definitely is beautiful- hopefully we'll get some more solid info on sea star wild diets (particularly with biofilm-feeders) so we can figure out how to care for them adequately in the future.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

It definitely is beautiful- hopefully we'll get some more solid info on sea star wild diets (particularly with biofilm-feeders) so we can figure out how to care for them adequately in the future.

Maybe more prepared foods for sea stars which includes a little of everything Lol

I don't intend on keeping demanding species or fish which need to be fed almost everyday because I am out of my home for about 10 hours a day at college so the only fishes which suit me are predatory which can be fed about twice or thrice a week

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Maybe more prepared foods for sea stars which includes a little of everything

That's something I've been looking into for a while now (and may end up experimenting with in the future at some point) - I'm hoping we'll figure out what is important for various starfish (especially reef-safe species) dietarily and be able to provide those important items in the form of prepared feeds.

It'll probably be at least a few years before we reach that point though (studying biofilm-based diets is not easy, unfortunately).

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

That's something I've been looking into for a while now (and may end up experimenting with in the future at some point) - I'm hoping we'll figure out what is important for various starfish (especially reef-safe species) dietarily and be able to provide those important items in the form of prepared feeds.

It'll probably be at least a few years before we reach that point though (studying biofilm-based diets is not easy, unfortunately).

I see, is it because of the lesser demand of keeping starfish? Or is it more based on it isn't necessary to keep starfish in captivity?

Why is it not easy? Is it because of the different nutritional contents of certain bio films which grow and which suits the starfish the best?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I see, is it because of the lesser demand of keeping starfish? Or is it more based on it isn't necessary to keep starfish in captivity?

Why is it not easy? Is it because of the different nutritional contents of certain bio films which grow and which suits the starfish the best?

There's a lot of demand to keep starfish, but the vast majority starve within ~8-13 months; there's just not a whole lot of research on their diets that I've been able to find, and there have been a lot of assumptions made about their diets that we're just starting to realize are false. Additionally, because of how sea stars eat, it can be really tricky to figure out what they're purposefully eating and what just happens to be eaten as well, and just because they eat something doesn't mean it meets their nutritional needs.

It's not easy to study both because of the way starfish eat and because of what biofilms are and how they work:

Biofilms are typically a mix of bacteria, cyanobacteria, diatoms, microalgae, fungi, etc.; they can vary drastically in makeup dependent on a number of different factors (and figuring out what is in them requires lab-grade equipment). As mentioned, we're not sure what in the biofilm is important for starfish health. Also, we're not sure what biofilm composition is preferred by the stars (and it almost certainly will vary from species to species).

Due to their composition, biofilm formation and the species in a biofilm vary with an enormous number of variables - age, substrate, species around them, temperature, lighting, nutrient levels, local bacteria populations, etc. can all impact which species end up in the film and at what quantities/proportions.

So, you have to look at various parts of different biofilms being fed on by various starfish (very tough on its own), but it may also be necessary to look at the biofilm composition as a whole as well - the stars may need multiple parts of the films or the results produced by the interaction of various species in the film.

Definitely not a lightweight study to get specifics from.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

There's a lot of demand to keep starfish, but the vast majority starve within ~8-13 months; there's just not a whole lot of research on their diets that I've been able to find, and there have been a lot of assumptions made about their diets that we're just starting to realize are false. Additionally, because of how sea stars eat, it can be really tricky to figure out what they're purposefully eating and what just happens to be eaten as well, and just because they eat something doesn't mean it meets their nutritional needs.

It's not easy to study both because of the way starfish eat and because of what biofilms are and how they work:

Due to their composition, biofilm formation and the species in a biofilm vary with an enormous number of variables - age, substrate, species around them, temperature, lighting, nutrient levels, local bacteria populations, etc. can all impact which species end up in the film and at what quantities/proportions.

So, you have to look at various parts of different biofilms being fed on by various starfish (very tough on its own), but it may also be necessary to look at the biofilm composition as a whole as well - the stars may need multiple parts of the films or the results produced by the interaction of various species in the film.

Definitely not a lightweight study to get specifics from.

I can't imagine how hard that must be, it seems like you have to monitor many starfish in their natural habitat but that's only for certain species and you can't really possibly say without much research that the starfish you monitored or researched on can be applied to a different genus or family of that specific starfish since they can all have different nutritional needs which can't be applied to all starfish

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I can't imagine how hard that must be, it seems like you have to monitor many starfish in their natural habitat but that's only for certain species and you can't really possibly say without much research that the starfish you monitored or researched on can be applied to a different genus or family of that specific starfish since they can all have different nutritional needs which can't be applied to all starfish

Yeah - so there have been some studies done on wild diets, but a whole lot more need to be done, and most of the studies that have been done don't discuss the biofilm's composition at all (which is understandable given the difficulties involved with studying them in depth at the moment).

So, definitely a lot needs to be learned at this point.