Lookin for a starfish

[Bubbashrimp]

Well, I would like to purchase a harlequin shrimp in the near future. The trouble is that they eat the tube feet of starfish and sea urchins. Thats not really the trouble, the way I would like do do this is to avoid astrea stars and linckias all together, that is my problem. I first thought that these where the only starfish they would like(by reading the diet on the dr. foster and smith web site). I just got done reading another article by Dr. Shimek, noted marine invertabrate zoologist, and it implied that they eat lots of different starfish and urchins. I will eventually ask him about this as I keep hearing that they eat this or they dont eat that. The pros to astrea starfish is that they breed readily in the aquarium. The cons are that they breed readily in the aquarium(that is why they call them a nucense I suppose). The pros to linckia...well there really isnt any. The cons are ecological. I have heard that they do not touch brittle stars, I do not know the wisdom of this thinking though. I am not sure how Chocolate chips breed in the aquarium.

Here is what I want: I only can realistically devote about 5 isolated gallons to this endevor. I do not want to introduce a "nusence spieces". I would want to be able to breed the starfish with little effort. I want a spieces that reproduces on a slower scale. I want a spieces that regenerates an arm realativly fast.

IS THIS JUST WISHFUL THINKING!

[jenajet]

I am totally lost here. Are you asking about the stars in order to feed the shrimp or are you wanting to know what kind of star could go with the shrimp and not get eaten?

[Bubbashrimp]

I am asking about feeding the shrimp. I would like to culture the starfish on a very limited scale.

[Geoff]

Asterina starfish are about your only choice. they are the only ones i know of that will reproduce readily in the aquarium environment.

most stars have the ability to reproduce if cut in half, but most of the time our systems are not healthy enough for this to occur. this tends to kill the star rather than having 2 or more fromt the cutting.

as far as a problem critter. as long as they are algae eating Asterinas and not the SPS eating i do not see having them as being a problem.

right now i have a Trochus snail problem. they reproduce like crazy in my system. i am sure most people would want this problem. but anything can become a problem. Xenia, snails, stars, corals, you just have to pick what you want to be problematic.

G~

[Bubbashrimp]

How about if you have ever heard of arms growing back in aquariums, incase I decide to just cut and arm off and throw it back into the culture aquarium "yikes".

Do you know how to tell the difference between the algae eating ones v.s. the other kind.

I have been looking for these stars and since they are considered a nuscience they are hard to find, like nickels. Whenever you want a nickel you can't find one and whenever you don't want a nickel you have two jean pockets full of them.

I totally agree with you about problematic things, I just let if live as long as it does not take over my tank. If it does take over my tank I cut it back.

[Twitterbait]

Most of the people i have seen with these shrimp have just bought a chocolate chip star for them to slowly eat on. I am not sure what else to recommend.