hollyk
11/03/2013, 11:18 AM
Hi all,
So, I found these really cute little sea stars yesterday at my LFS. I made the horrible mistake of listening to the employees' advice on caring for a new "red starfish". I'd been wanting to add a sea star to my aquarium, and these little guys were so cute and tiny! I asked some questions about them, and I was told that they stay very small (less than 2 inches), don't have any lighting requirements, eat an algae pellet if there's not enough algae in the tank, and in general are super easy to care for. I know, I made a BIG mistake by listening to them rather than doing some more research. I thought that they had given me the basics, and I would do more research immediately upon arriving home. :headwally:
Which, of course, I did. I learned that what I have, that was labelled a "red starfish" looks probably like a red fromia- it's bright red with tiny black dots. What I'm reading says that it gets much bigger than 2 inches- probably closer to 5 or 6. I was told that my 14 gallon tank would be fine. The tank will be upgraded to a larger size in January, at least. But that doesn't do much for the algae film they're apparently supposed to have. I'm so confused. I'm just glad the thing is still alive. Does anyone have any advice or good resources on these little stars? I want to make sure it'll be okay. I feel horrible. :sad1:
So, I found these really cute little sea stars yesterday at my LFS. I made the horrible mistake of listening to the employees' advice on caring for a new "red starfish". I'd been wanting to add a sea star to my aquarium, and these little guys were so cute and tiny! I asked some questions about them, and I was told that they stay very small (less than 2 inches), don't have any lighting requirements, eat an algae pellet if there's not enough algae in the tank, and in general are super easy to care for. I know, I made a BIG mistake by listening to them rather than doing some more research. I thought that they had given me the basics, and I would do more research immediately upon arriving home. :headwally:
Which, of course, I did. I learned that what I have, that was labelled a "red starfish" looks probably like a red fromia- it's bright red with tiny black dots. What I'm reading says that it gets much bigger than 2 inches- probably closer to 5 or 6. I was told that my 14 gallon tank would be fine. The tank will be upgraded to a larger size in January, at least. But that doesn't do much for the algae film they're apparently supposed to have. I'm so confused. I'm just glad the thing is still alive. Does anyone have any advice or good resources on these little stars? I want to make sure it'll be okay. I feel horrible. :sad1: