What do you need for a chocolate chip starfish?
Of course, you should make sure you have a water tank large enough for fish this size, before entertaining the idea of adopting a chocolate chip starfish. The sea star will also need a sand bed that is several inches deep.
Do chocolate chip starfish eat corals?
Also, no coral reef! The adult chocolate chip starfish will eat corals, sponges, as well as tubeworms, clams, and smaller species of starfish. You should also remember to stop using any copper-based medication in the water tank, as the starfish can be negatively affected by it.
Is the chocolate chip starfish the right pet for You?
If you are looking to adorn your saltwater aquarium with some new and a somewhat unorthodox pet to care for, the Chocolate Chip Starfish (Protoreaster nodosus) might be your choice. This starfish is a relatively big, colorful, and interesting sea creature.
What are the best tank mates for a chocolate chip starfish?
Good tank mates for the chocolate chip starfish are most fishes and shrimp species. Bad tank mates are predatory fish (especially puffers and triggerfish), as well as large hermit crabs.
What does chocolate chip sea star eat?
Diet consists of sponges and detritus. Will consume both plant and animal material. Mouth is located ventrally. The chocolate ship sea star eats by extending its stomach out of its mouth, covering food, and digesting it externally.
How often do you feed a Chocolate Chip Starfish?
How Often Should We Feed Chocolate Chip Starfish? For the most part, they feed themselves. Mainly because they scavenge for food all the time. However, if they have eaten all the algae in the tank, we can feed a bit of meaty food once every 1-2 weeks.
How do you take care of a chocolate starfish?
The Chocolate Chip sea star requires excellent water quality, and it won't thrive if the nitrate levels in the tank are too high. It's also important to keep the oxygen levels, pH, and salinity consistent, as rapid changes to conditions can stress the starfish and cause health problems.
Are Chocolate Chip Starfish easy to take care of?
The Chocolate Chip Starfish is a stunning and unique echinoderm to have in your saltwater tank. They are easy to care for and readily available, and it's fun to watch them attached to the walls of the tank. It's also fascinating to see the interesting way these creatures consume their food.
How do I feed my starfish?
Clams, mussels, scallops and oysters are the preferred prey of many medium to large sized starfish. Linckias and Chocolate Chips will especially appreciate them. Bristle worms, tube worms and other kinds of worms all make great options. They also love to eat snails too.
Will chocolate chip starfish eat algae?
The Chocolate Chip Star eats by excreting their stomach out onto their prey and retracting it back in. They will primarily eat an omnivorous diet consisting of dead plants, algae, sponges, and detritus.
How do I feed my chocolate chip starfish?
Chocolate chip starfish are opportunistic scavengers. This means, they will take the opportunity to eat whatever they want if they get a chance. According to the Atlantic City Aquarium, this sea star's diet consists of corals, shellfish and clams, sponges, detritus, and decaying plant or animal matter.
Can I touch my chocolate chip starfish?
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How long do starfish live in captivity?
5-10 yearsHow long do sea stars live? Again, with so many species of sea stars, it's hard to generalize lifespan. On average, they can live 35 years in the wild. In captivity, most live 5-10 years when well cared for.
How do I feed my chocolate chip starfish?
Chocolate chip starfish are opportunistic scavengers. This means, they will take the opportunity to eat whatever they want if they get a chance. According to the Atlantic City Aquarium, this sea star's diet consists of corals, shellfish and clams, sponges, detritus, and decaying plant or animal matter.
Are starfish easy to keep?
For the most part, starfish are easy to keep in an aquarium. But the precise level of ease varies among species. Their food requirements and their level of willingness to cohabit with other captive marine creatures factor in. Keeping starfish happy is mostly a matter of understanding their needs and catering to them.
How long do starfish live in captivity?
5-10 yearsHow long do sea stars live? Again, with so many species of sea stars, it's hard to generalize lifespan. On average, they can live 35 years in the wild. In captivity, most live 5-10 years when well cared for.
Why is my starfish at the top of the tank?
I work at an aquarium and in training we were told that starfish will do the little back bend thing at the top of the tank as a way to kind of check out the tank, they are kind of "seeing" whats going on in the tank. It's pretty common and I wouldn't be worried about it.
How do starfish feed?
They feed through eversion of their orange-colored stomach out of the mouth and onto their prey. As the prey is digested, the stomach gradually retracts into the mouth. There is a small wart-like structure on the body of the starfish located on the side of the central disk, this is called the madreporite.
How big do chocolate chip starfish grow?
Note: According to some studies, the corresponding growth rate is about 2 – 3 cm (0.8 – 1.2 inches) per year for small Chocolate Chip Starfish.
How many arms does a chocolate chip starfish have?
Most Chocolate Chip Starfish usually have five arms that extend towards the ends, sometimes they possess four or six arms but this is considered as an anomaly. On the lower surface of their body, pale purple or transparent pink tube feet can be found, these are arranged in rows on each arm and extends to the endpoints.
What is the best saltwater pet?
If you are looking to adorn your saltwater aquarium with some new and a somewhat unorthodox pet to care for, the Chocolate Chip Starfish (Protoreaster nodosus) might be your choice.
Why is the chocolate chip starfish called the chocolate chip starfish?
It is regarded as the Chocolate Chip Starfish because of the horned knobs on its upper side or arboreal surface, these make it look like a star-shaped cookie garnished with chocolate chips. This sea star is remarkable and its presence in the aquarium is nothing short of magnificent. Keep reading for more information on this fascinating sea creature ...
When was the chocolate chip starfish first discovered?
The Chocolate Chip Starfish is one of the earliest animals named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 , and it is a member of the family Oreasteridae; a group of starfish which consists of robust species with short, thick arms.
Where did the chocolate chip starfish originate?
It is a species of sea star seen in the warm, shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific regions. Mostly in the triangle formed by Seychelles, New Caledonia, and southern Japan.
What kind of substrate do chocolate chip starfish need?
Chocolate Chip Starfish need a sandy substrate, which should be several inches deep. They do well in FOWLR (Fish Only with Living Rock) aquascape, since those do not contain live coral.
What is a chocolate chip starfish?
The Chocolate Chip Starfish is a stunning and unique echinoderm to have in your saltwater tank. They are easy to care for and readily available, and it’s fun to watch them attached to the walls of the tank.
What does it mean when a chocolate chip starfish has white spots?
If your Chocolate Chip Starfish has white spots, there is a good chance they have Marine Ich, a parasitic infection that is both highly contagious and fatal if it’s not treated promptly. The front-line treatment for Ich is copper-based, so be sure to choose the copper-free alternative.
How long do chocolate chip sea stars live?
Sadly, their intricate skeletal pattern makes them fodder for locals to make money, and dried Chocolate Chip Sea Stars are often sold to tourists as souvenirs. Chocolate Chip Starfish can live up to 20 years in the wild, but their lifespan in captivity averages about 5 to 7 years.
How big of a tank do you need for chocolate chip starfish?
You need at least a 30-gallon tank for Chocolate Chip Starfish, keeping in mind that some can grow up to 15 inches (38 cm). If your Sea Star grows that large, you will need a bigger tank, as you will if you have a larger, multi-species community. Read Related Article: The Complete Guide to Sand Sifting Starfish Care.
How do sea stars get water?
Chocolate Chip Sea Stars gather water for their vascular system by pumping water through the madreporite, a structure on the surface of its body.
Why should you not pick up a starfish?
If an air bubble gets trapped in the starfish’s vascular system, paralysis and death could result. That’s why it’s really important to avoid picking up your starfish and exposing it to air. One vital thing to note is that you should never pick up your starfish and expose it to the air, as this action could kill them.
What do chocolate chip starfish eat?
According to the Atlantic City Aquarium, this sea star’s diet consists of corals, shellfish and clams, sponges, detritus, and decaying plant or animal matter.
Do chocolate chip starfish need to be cleaned?
The chocolate chip starfish doesn’t require all that much to be happy in your tank. Occasional feedings of meaty seafood by hand will be fun for you and nutritious for your echinoderm but are probably not necessary. It all depends on how much cleaning up your clean-up-crew needs to do.
How to take care of a chocolate chip starfish?
This means that you have to take care of your chocolate chip starfish, making sure it is eating, as in stick around and see it eat. Otherwise, if you just put enough food in the tank for all its inhabitants, you risk the other fish to get ahead of your chocolate chip friend and finish it all off before the starfish gets a chance to feed.
What does a starfish look like?
You have: there really is such a thing, it’s a living creature, and it looks as cute as it sounds. A beige starfish, the color of yummy cookie dough, dotted with brown spots all over, of precisely the size and color of chocolate chips. While it looks like a sprinkle of chocolate chips, they are actually dark brown tubercles.
What color are sea stars?
With the geographical location usually determines a range of colors such as blue, white, yellow, or reddish-brown, the sea star’s color it came from.
How deep should a sea star be?
The sea star will also need a sand bed that is several inches deep. This type of sea-star is ideal for a fish-only tank (with living rock additions, as well), and will get along with most mild-mannered fish. It moves pretty slowly, slower than the other fish in the tank.
Can chocolate chip starfish eat shrimp?
Chocolate chip starfish can eat generic packaged food for tank fish, if it’s all you have on hand, with the precaution that you do stick around to watch it actually eat. But, ideally, its diet should consist of meaty meals, such as chopped squid, shrimp, and mussels.
Is a starfish a mysterious creature?
As if you need another reason besides how cute they look, Starfish, in general, are very interesting and mysterious creatures, and the chocolate chip starfish perhaps most of all. Science reports that it has pretty unusual relatives, as well. All in all, it’s definitely a beautiful sight in any aquarium, and since it moves so slow compared to ...
Is a chocolate chip starfish good for an aquarium?
A chocolate chip starfish is easy enough to procure from most tank stockers, and also affordable.
Chocolate Chip Starfish Facts & Overview
Appearance
- Your Chocolate Chip Starfish can vary in color: we’ve seen blue, cream, reddish-brown, yellow, and white hues on their bodies, but of course, they all carry the signature black spines. Starfish typically have 5 arms, like a 5-pointed star, but some have an extra, and some may have lost an arm to predators. Chocolate Chip Sea Star arms taper off at the end of the arm. Its body and ar…
Habitat and Tank Conditions
- Chocolate Chip Starfish need a sandy substrate, which should be several inches deep. They do well in FOWLR (Fish Only with Living Rock) aquascape, since those do not contain live coral. As they are scavengers, they’ll need algae, and they like to affix themselves to live rocks, so you should have some larger rocks, particularly if your Chocolate Chip Starfish is on the larger side. …
Diet
- Chocolate Chip Starfish are carnivores but will consume some plant detritus and algae. They are scavengers and therefore adept tank cleaners, but you still need to feed them a varied protein diet. You can offer them chopped clams, shellfish, shrimp, and squid. Starfish are not fast movers, so you can’t just put food in the tank and assume they’ll g...
Care
- One important thing to remember when caring for your Chocolate Chip Starfish is that any medication with copper is contraindicated as copper is toxic to starfish. They also cannot tolerate anti-parasitic medications, so whether you’re treating your starfish or other fish in the tank, you should choose copper-free treatments, and if you have to treat your other fish with an anti-parasi…
Breeding
- Chocolate Chip Snails are not recommended for breeding in captivity. It just doesn’t work. You won’t be able to achieve the water depth necessary for breeding Chocolate Chip Starfish; in the wild, they spawn in deep water. Furthermore, Chocolate Chip Sea Stars breed at the full moon–you won’t be able to recreate the salinity and temperature needed for successful breedin…
Are Chocolate Chip Starfish Suitable For Your Aquarium?
- Curating your saltwater aquarium is a significant task. Whether the beautiful Chocolate Chip Starfish is the right fit for your aquarium will depend on what your needs are. If you are rocking a gorgeous reef biosphere, the Chocolate Chip Starfish might not be the best choice. Similarly, if you love boxfish or hermit crabs, you’ll want to skip the Chocolate Chip for the safety of the starf…