Chocate chip starfish

[moneymark]

Are chocalate chip starfish and brittle starfish ok in a 75 gallon predatorial tank ( Porcupine puffer, dogface puffer, Niger trigger, snowflake eel)

[anbosu]

I kept a green brittle star with a snowflake eel when I used to live in Ohio and it did really well. Generally I don't think starfish are safe with puffers and triggers, but I don't know for sure.

[moneymark]

well, i dont want to find out the hard way, thanx

[moneymark]

well, i dont want to find out the hard way, thanx

[roadcrew]

i would not trust a puffer around any invert. isn't that their natural foods?

[Recty]

I havent personally experienced a chocolate chip starfish with a puffer or trigger, but I've read people say their fish pick the chocolate chip looking parts off the starfish and eventually kill them.

I have had the starfish with an eel before though with no problem, so that helps with 1/4 of your stocking list!

[psilentchild]

I too have heard of the puffer eating the chips off of them. Now the question is I know at my LFS they are $7. Do you want to experiment with $7 or not?

[LisaD]

serpent and brittle stars are good CUCs, can move and are nocturnal. acclimate very slowly (echinoderms are very sensitive to quick changes in specific gravity) and add after dark with lights out. if you have rocks, they are likely to be able to hide.

if you try the chocolate chip star, do it about an hour after a heavy feeding, and again, acclimate slowly.

[StayPuft]

I have 2 chocolate chip stars with a dogface puffer, triggers and a queen angel and they're fine. Never had a problem with any fish picking on them. I've had them for over 6 months now.

[moneymark]

Wow, thats good to hear, I added my green serpent star from my 90 to the 75. It's doing good with the E.T. puffer, no problems at all...so time will tell. Thanx

[JVITAL55]

I have 2 chocolate chip, a snowflake eel, a zebra eel, blue spot puffer, and had a large blue throat trigger. No problems.

[rguyler]

Your experience may vary here. Fish are like people so their compatibility cannot always be counted on. I suppose if you keep them well fed then your chances would be better in most cases. Losing a star isn't usually the most expensive mistake you will make and in that case, you'll make your puffer that much happier. ;-)

[DamnPepShrimp]

I really want to try some kind of clean up crew for my FO tank. I thought about CC starfish, but I have a klunzinger wrasse and niger trigger that might eat them. I am really worried about the wrasse. Let us know how it goes.

[StayPuft]

I wouldn't consider chocolate chip stars to be cleanup crew or at least not a good cleanup crew anyway.

[DamnPepShrimp]

Neither would I but it'd be better then nothing. If snails and hermits were getting eaten, and CC stars weren't (for some reason, don't think it'd be possible tho) then I would consider them. I have big fish that get feed huge chunks of meat and pellets and some of the stuff falls into the rocks they cant reach. I have a few little damsels that help out but I am sure theres a lot of trapped rotting food killing my water quality.

[AuroraDrvr]

Had a dogface attempt to eat every chocolate chip before.. Had to banish the star to the sump.