Starfish

[leecara]

i have got 3 starfish
serpent star/now looking at pics on the internet it may be a red bristle starfish
sand sifting star
red sea star
i have read about the starfish and my tank suits them good and there is enough food for them to eat as it is 90 us gall
steelheir said on another forum that starfish can nuke tanks is this true if so,wich starfish can and cant nuke my tank as i have never came across anywere on the web or at any of th lfs's ive been to
advice needed as i am now worried
cheers lee

 

[SkiFletch]

Anyway you can post pics or links to similar species Lee? Those common names are not really descriptive enough to give you a good quality answer. MOST starfish can nuke a tank although some are more toxic upon death than others.

 

[leecara]

well i went to the lfs and asked about the starfish they said they do not release toxins upon death the most they can do is when they disintergrate they give out anomina causing an amoina spike is this true?


some pics
i i found this pic online it looks exactly the same as mine-(red bristle star about 5 inches at the moment)

red sea star?

sand sifter

]

 

[AK77]

I think your Red sea star is a "Red Linkia".

 

[Matty P]

Sorry to hijack but is this a Red Linkia too?

It has lost part of its leg

 

[AndyS]

when they disintergrate they give out anomina causing an amoina spike is this true?

Yep, thats true and as ammonia is toxic to fish and inverts it can lead to a chain reaction in a small aquarium, however you have 90 gallons of water in your tank, the ammonia given out by the starfish will not be as toxic as say in a 10 gallon tank, starfish arent recommended for nano tanks as there is limited food in a smaller aquarium and if a death occured there would be very little "clean" water to dilute the ammonia released.

I wouldnt worry about the starfish in a 90 gallon tank, there should be pleanty of natural food sources for them, but keep an eye on them, if they die then you will have more time to do something about it (ie water changes) than in a nano tank, which could crash in a few hours. I dont think you should be too concerned about it.

Andy

 

[leecara]

ok thanks
puts my mind at rest