Chocolate Starfish/Health. fdg.   11/26/08
<Hi Peter>
I have read thru the FAQs and have seen some mention of white spots and other problems combined, however, I was not able to find exactly what I was looking for. I have had a 25 gal tank set up since June and have had my
CCS since the beginning. Yesterday, I noticed it started to develop white spots all over it and he is still active in the tank. Water change done 3 days ago and all tests where good. I have never feed him anything but what he has
found on his own (as per the pet shop owner). Any idea what could cause this and is there any help for him?
<Nutrition is more than likely what caused this. The pet shop owner misinformed you of the care needed in maintaining this starfish. This starfish needs to be fed at least once a week. Read here and related FAQ's. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seastars.htm>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Peter

Starfish Feelers Ripped off   9/22/08
Hello, I am new to the site and love it! <Glad you found us.> I have a question about a chocolate chip starfish. I was trying to feed it and pulled it to hard and some of it's feelers on were ripped off. I feel terrible and was wondering is he is going to be okay or if there is something I should do?
<It will heal and be fine, try not to force feed it in the future. Putting the food just underneath the edge of the center should be enough. If it is hungry it will move to the food itself.>
Thank you so much!
<You're welcome. Jessy>  

Starfish stomach 9/23/08 Hi, Just a quick note to say how informative and helpful your site is! I would like to share a couple of interesting pictures of a chocolate chip starfish eating a peppermint shrimp. The pictures clearly capture the stars ejected stomach . thanks, Renea <Mmm, yes... are predaceous. Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Feeding a Chocolate Chip Star (8/6/04)
I have a 29 gal tank with only a choc chip sea star (my fish died from ich or velvet and can't put more in for 6 weeks),<sorry to hear> He is about 4 inches from foot to foot. My levels are ammonia 0, ph 8.2, nitrite 0, and nitrate 10. I have a heavy growth of green and red algae which the star snacks on and I feed him small amount of freeze dried brine shrimp every 2 days or so. Is this enough food to keep him healthy? <I'd say this is not an adequate diet for this creature.> I gave him a piece of shrimp from grocery store once and he swelled up for 2 days and scared me to death. <No worries, it merely ingested the chunk whole, just like a snake bulges when it swallow a whole animal. Just feed smaller chunks from now on.> However it was great hand feeding a starfish! <I agree.> (By the way, tank is about 8 weeks old.) <Rather immature yet. Go slow.> Please any help is appreciated as I have grown quite attached to "Cookie" and I didn't have a clue when I got him. (Local pet store has steered me astray last 8 weeks on what I was getting into) <Find a new one. As for the star, I have had great success with chunks of seafood (shrimps, mussels, squid, fish, etc) a few times per week. For your size star, 1/4-1/2 inch should be a good size. Here in UT, Albertson's sells a nice seafood mix that works great. I feed it to all of my predators, echinoderms and fish.> Thanks in advance, Beth <Hope this helps, Steve Allen. BTW, do study the ich articles and FAQs as well as those about quarantine, so you can avoid ich from now on. Buy a good starter book such as "The New Marine Aquarium," by Michael Paletta.>

The "Did You Know?" Section - Chocolate Chip Starfish!
>HI!
>>Hi!
>Looking forward to IMAC and hope to have the honor of meeting some of you there.
>>Bob and Anthony, as well as one of "The Adams", can't recollect who else will be there, but not me, Marina.
>Hey I don't think I've read anything about this. I have a chocolate chip starfish and have noticed that its tube feet are photosensitive! Weird! 
>>Me, either, and I haven't noticed it, actually. 
>If his little tube feet are all out and I shine a flashlight on them, it retracts them instantly! How can this be or why?
>>Well, starfishes do have photoreceptors as I recollect. I would guess that light shining on its toes means someone's out to nibble them.
>Also these guys have good memory!! Sounds silly? Check this out. When I feed my fish I stop all the circulation for 2 minutes. After only having been fed twice, when I shut of the circulation (no food in water yet) instantly his little tube feet come on out and go nuts reaching everywhere for food. 
>>Dang!
>Amazing, just amazing isn't it? 
>>Actually, yes, it is.
>I mean my dog wouldn't even learn that fast. Now every single time I feed the fish he wishes to be fed as well. Is a small piece of table shrimp every day too much because he really seems to want food always.
>>No, not if it's being consumed.
>thanks so much for taking the time to share with me/us.
>>You're welcome, and thank YOU for sharing. Marina 

Chocolate chip starfish
We just got a Chocolate Chip Starfish and I have been reading the info on your site. Some people talk about hand-feeding them. But there is no description of how. Can you tell me? 
<I did use the Tetra Tabs and stuck them on the glass near the star and he soon found them. You could try putting a small piece of clam or shrimp on the bottom, then place the star over the food. Do the last method if the star is on the bottom, don't pull him off the glass if he is on there, you may damage the locomotion tubes. James (Salty Dog)>

Hungry Stars (2/21/05)
I just had a question as to what to do about my snail population.  I have 4 chocolate chip starfish. <How big is your tank? Over 100G, I hope.> I never had a problem with feeding them. I guess they mostly ate the algae or whatever in the tank. <They cannot survive without being fed.> Lately they have been on a feeding binge. <That is to be expected. These carnivorous stars have big appetites and grow to 8+ inches in diameter.> One starfish ate my anemone right through the bottom of it. I had about 25 turbo snails in the tank and I might have about 5 left. <They'll eat pretty much any sessile (non-motile) or slow-moving animal they can.> They each eat one snail a day. Usually not the small ones but the big ones are eaten. What can I do? <Feed them or take them back. They are not reef-safe, BTW. They love to eat soft corals.> I don't know what to feed them. <Chunks of marine origin meats such as raw fish flesh, shrimp, mussels, squid, scallops or octopus, all of which can be purchased at the seafood counter of the local market. I get mine as a "gumbo mix" at Albertson's for about $3 per lb.> Its not that easy to feed them the frozen krill <Why not?> and even then, I think they prefer the snails. <Even if you feed them, they may eat your snails. I have   no other invertebrates in my carnivorous star tank. I only have fish that leave stars alone and that are left alone by stars.> Please help. <There are two ways to feed them. Use a pair of plastic grabbers (See here for example: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=HG11012 ) to place meaty food next to or under stars on the bottom. I often grab my stars, put the meat over their mouths and gently press them to the front glass. They will stick to the glass and eat--kind of cool to watch as they evert their stomachs around the food.> Thanks, Jen <Hope this helps, Steve Allen.>

Feeding a Chocolate Chip Star, Admonishments for No Capitalization/Punctuation
>How do I feed my ccs?
>>I'm assuming that's a question (have added question mark), and is regarding a chocolate chip star. You can give it just about anything meaty, just place nearby. Daily feeding usually isn't necessary.
>Also I do not have sand on the bottom, I have rocks. Will this bother the star?
>>Not as much as using no capitalization or punctuation bothers those of us answering questions, spending time just re-typing queries. These are not a sand-sifting star, but are decidedly more predatory. Should not be kept in reef systems. Marina