red fromia star

[treesprite]

I'm going to be receiving a red fromia seastar Friday and am wondering if anyone can give me some advice on acclimating and what sorts of things to look for as far as health.

 

Also, I have some pepp shrimps in the tank and one caught a white mini star that fell off a rock and was eating it.... should I be worrying about the pepps going after the fromia?

Edited January 10, 2008 by dbartco

[vaironman]

I don't know if you need any additional acclimating steps than the normal of slowly acclimate with dripping in your tank water. Other than that, to care for it, just needs adequate green algae on the glass to feed the starfish.

 

KLee

[jamal]

2 hrs acclimating time minimum. make sure the starfish is not melting flesh off. also make sure it has been properly kept before you receive it

[zotzer]

I am not sure if this is true or not, but I am under the impression that you should not let them contact air....ie: don't net it out of water to place it in the tank. Kind of similar to acclimating a sponge.

 

Tracy

[treesprite]

I am not sure if this is true or not, but I am under the impression that you should not let them contact air....ie: don't net it out of water to place it in the tank. Kind of similar to acclimating a sponge.

 

Tracy

 

I was kind of wondering about that. I wonder what happens when they get in the air.

[treesprite]

im now wondering about how it and the sea urchin will do together in the same tank. I hardly ever see the urchin. I don't know what kind of urchin it is... closest thing I can find is a picture of a Echinometra mathaei or "common sea urchin".

Edited January 10, 2008 by treesprite

[zotzer]

I was kind of wondering about that. I wonder what happens when they get in the air.

 

I think if they get any air in their mouths, they can't expel it. Something like that, anyway.

T

[ctenophore]

My linkias crawl partially out of the water sometimes to get to new places. They're not fromias but they certainly get exposed to air.

[davelin315]

Air is not a problem to a starfish as long as you don't leave it out so long that it becomes a problem. The real problem is with pH acclimation. I would suggest you acclimate over a period of at least 6 hours. Slow drip acclimation is the only way to go as stars are very sensitive and can disintegrate from pH swings as remote as months prior. It's difficult to know if your star will make it until it has been established for several months in your system. Even the act of shipping can cause it to die off as the pH gets all messed up in the bag.

[ctenophore]

Air is not a problem to a starfish as long as you don't leave it out so long that it becomes a problem. The real problem is with pH acclimation. I would suggest you acclimate over a period of at least 6 hours. Slow drip acclimation is the only way to go as stars are very sensitive and can disintegrate from pH swings as remote as months prior. It's difficult to know if your star will make it until it has been established for several months in your system. Even the act of shipping can cause it to die off as the pH gets all messed up in the bag.

 

Interesting, I did not know that pH affected them that strongly. I know that salinity changes can mess with them since their "muscles" are basically driven by osmosis. Too rapid of a salinity change and their organs etc can burst. How did you learn about the pH effects?

[treesprite]

I knew about the salinity but not that the Ph was such a big deal. I hope it comes in healthy... going to get it from Howards in several hours!

[davelin315]

I read about pH years ago. Salinity is also a concern, but not as much in most stars from what I understand.

[treesprite]

This fromia may or may not have a problem - it looks bad to me but I have no experience with them. Can anyone with exerience or info about them please give some feedback, info, suggestions, or whatever? Here is a pic - bad but you can see what I'm talking about... it is drooping it's arms though it sticks to the rock with it's middle not just laying there.

 

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc296/t...estank/star.jpg