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Adam Blundell 
Presidency
Joined: June 24 2002
Location: Davis County
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Points: 18526
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 Posted: April 24 2004 at 8:40am |
Renee,
Yes Sea Stars is a much better term. Would you believe that our first newsletter way back 8 years ago was called the SeaStar.... and here we are 8 years later and most stores still sell them as Starfish. Oh well.
I'm not sure what the taxonomic division is, but in general brittle stars have long skinny appendages, joined to a small oral disc. Other sea stars (which I don't think have a cool name) are wide bodied, and the appendages usually are wide enough to join each other, where they connect to the central oriface. This sounds confusing, but basically them fat stars are seastars, and the skinny legged stars are brittle stars.
Adam
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Weimers
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Joined: January 01 2004
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Posted: April 24 2004 at 8:50am |
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I usually see brittle stars among the LR in peoples' tanks, so they seem fairly self-sufficient. On the board, it sounds like seastars need feeding (shrimp, scallops, etc.). We got a seastar from Arjen about a month ago. When we put him in the tank, he sunk himself below the sand. I've seen him about 4 times since then. He's white, and seems to come out just after "sunset," when the actinics are on. He walks along the sand a ways, and then sinks again. Usually in an area where the sand is pretty dark. Does it sound like he's doing okay? I tried to feed him a little piece of shrimp one day, but he didn't care. He was on a wandering mission. I gave the piece to him 3 times, and he cruised over it. Is that bad?
Edited by Weimers
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Renee and Damon Weimer
Tankless in Hawaii
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Mark Peterson
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Joined: June 19 2002
Location: Murray
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Posted: April 24 2004 at 11:16am |
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I'm sorry to read of the problems Fishgirlheather is having with Sea Stars. Sea Stars have particular nutrient needs that may not be fully recognized. Unfotunately they are too easy to lose and too easy to replace.
Fishgirlheather has had two that died. At what point do we admit that we don't know enough about providing for their needs and ought to be more careful not to buy something that we cannot adequately support in the long term?
Goniapora/Flowerpot coral, Cleaner Wrasse, Scooter Blenny, Mandarin Goby and the Nudibranch are examples of other organisms that also fall in this category at various times in various tanks.
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Will Spencer
Admin Group
Joined: September 04 2003
Location: West Jordan
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Posted: April 24 2004 at 1:03pm |
Renee, you have a sand sifting star. He likely won't be interested in anything you feed him. They sift through the sand and find what they want there. I understand they eat the "good" things in the sand so it's not a good idea to have to many. I keep 1 in my 180 gallon tank and probably won't get anymore.
Every now and then if you keep an eye out you may see him cruize up the glass. Mine almost made it to the top of the tank yesterday, but it didn't last long. Next thing I knew it had let go and was floating to the substrate. Within 5 minutes he was buried to the point I couldn't see him anymore. I think they are pretty cool myself.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 24 2004 at 1:33pm |
Will, I would ask myself if it was searching for food?
 Has anyone tried burying same small pieces of shrimp in the sand and watching to see if the Sand Sifting Star goes after them?
You know how they say that a chick must poke it's own way out of a shell or it will later die. I wonder if feeding some Sea Stars makes then weak and die? In the wild they have to exert great force to pry apart a bivalve to eat it.
A fun thing I used to do at the MFSI was to bury Miss Dwight's food in the sand and watch her root for it. Miss Dwight is the 30" Nurse Shark I caught and delivered to the MFSI. I wonder if she is still alive?
I hope so.
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