maybe a sea star?

**dreams** · 05-07-2006, 10:28 AM

i couldn't get pic, because this guy is teeny & went into a crevise

he has 5 tentacles/legs & is white.....it did not move quickly, more slowly.....fully extended he was probably about the size around as a pea....looked like he had a disk area, maybe the size of pencil lead.....oh!...he was kinda walking/scooting with his tentacle/legs

a starfish, yes?.....probably a brittle star or serpeant star?

**AdamJ** · 05-07-2006, 03:49 PM

well if you think you saw a disk with arms, then its most likely a star.

id guess brittle at this point, and in time as it gorws we can tell what you have as you see it more

**Amphibious** · 05-07-2006, 07:39 PM

dreams,

If it looked like this ........

It's a desirable sand bed critter.

Dick

**pham411** · 05-07-2006, 08:33 PM

looks like an albino brittle or serpent star. me personally, i like these crtters in my sandbed. they come out at nite and scanvage for left over food in the tank

**Amphibious** · 05-07-2006, 08:39 PM

It isn't albino to my knowledge, just their natural color.

**dreams** · 05-07-2006, 09:29 PM

thanks guys......well, it did look like that, only a teeny-tiny version of that

it has to have been in the tank for 5 months, is that possible?....how fast will it grow?

**fat walrus** · 05-07-2006, 09:46 PM

dreams, it not how fast it will grow, but how rapidly they'll multiply.

**gwen_o_lyn** · 05-08-2006, 12:50 AM

Most likely it will stay that size- I have them all over my tank. Just another one of those small cute things I admire in my tank.

**Amphibious** · 05-08-2006, 01:02 AM

The plastic cap in the picture above only measires 2 1/2" across so the star is pretty small. That is full grown and Gwen is right they breed in our tanks. In fact I wish I had some. My tank is relatively new and I haven't found any of these stars. The LR and LS apparently didn't contain any.

Be happy their cool.

Dick

**fat walrus** · 05-08-2006, 01:09 AM

amphibious, i'll have tons of them in my chaeto, would you like to receive some?

**CarmieJo** · 05-08-2006, 01:31 AM

I haven't seen any like that but I have a bunch of the ones that are more star shaped. They crawl all over everything and seem to have some ability to camouflage themselves.

***Rob*** · 05-08-2006, 01:39 AM

i dont have any either, but would be interesting to get some..

i have large serpent stars, but thats it for sea stars..

**gwen_o_lyn** · 05-08-2006, 02:41 AM

I would have to say they are very hard to see. I try and focus on a small area of my tank- say about 2" by 2"- maybe even less and I try to find as much life as I can in the square and usually those are the times that I will see things I've never seen before. Recently discovered a hairy "polyp munchin" crab which is kinda cool and I'm not sure what to do with him. For now, he stays.

**dreams** · 05-08-2006, 07:53 AM

thanks for the input everyone!

walrus scared me for a moment, i was thinking i was going to have huge sea stars over-running my tank8O ....lol

i glad they are little critters & beneficial....thanks!

**Jimm** · 05-08-2006, 12:30 PM

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms even sells them along with a bunch of other beneficial critters. Although I'm not sure if they are still in business, their web site seems to be a little bit broken right now.

**fat walrus** · 05-08-2006, 04:28 PM

there is no need to buy any, if you look hard enough they are there. i did not know how many until i was dipping a rock for flatworms...after you know what you are looking for, you see them everywhere, especially where there are hiding spots. i find them even in my fish only tanks.
dreams, sorry for the scare. i thought the size of the star in that bottlecap was obvious, i also took it for granted that you understood i meant it wasn't really gonna grow, just multiply. but i would have loved to see your face after reading my reply. lol.

**JustDavidP** · 05-08-2006, 05:09 PM

Don't pay for those.. there are plenty of folks (me included) who have them by the hundreds. Just get some from a fellow reefer.

The other "Star" looking ones are astrina stars.

D