Red Star Fish
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Scientific Name: Fromia Elegans Price: Upon Request Origin: Indo-Pacific Ocean Family: Ophidiasteridae NOT AVAILABLE NOW |
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Other Names: Fromia Elegans, Red Sea Star, Red Starfish |
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Technical Info
Temperature: 24 - 28 ℃
pH: 8.1 - 8.4
GH: 8 - 12
SG: 1.020 - 1.025
Max size: 15 cm
Min Tank size: 120 Ltr
Position in Aqua: Bottom swimmer
Description
Red Star Fish have no head, brain or complex sense organs – instead a simple nervous system extends down the arms across the skin which responds to touch and surrounding water quality. Movement is unusual but fascinating as the starfish seems to glide over even the roughest terrain. The mouth of the starfish is at the centre of the underside and many species are capable of pushing their stomachs out through the mouth to engulf and digest food outside of their body. Lost limbs are quickly re-grown, but more extraordinary than this is that many species, when cut in half, develop into two separate animals.
Food
In captivity, they benefit from occasional offerings of meaty foods (shrimp, krill, mussel, clam, etc.) cut up in small sizes and emulsified in a gel, or something similar in the way of commercially made wafer, placed near them.
Breeding
The Red Star Fish is extremely difficult to breed in an aquarium, with no distinguishing characteristics to help differentiate it from its mate.
Compatible with
Red Star Fish are "poster children" for Reef Safeness, leaving other life alone and in turn generally being left be, with the exception of the usual suspects. Do beware of mixing crabs, larger/predaceous Hermits, Puffers, Triggers, that might to may well pick on the stars.
Note
Appear to be reef safe and good scavengers of detritus, microalgae, small benthic invertebrates and other organic matter.