starfish compatability

Question
Hello Jennifer,
We have a 150 gal tank. In it we currently have 2 brittle star & 1 sand sifting starfish. We have two bubble anenome, 1 hairy mushroom coral, 1 clam, 2 clown fish, lots of snails (vaying types) & crabs. I would like to add one or two more starfish but I don't know what kind to purchase that won't eat the anenome & coral and still look like a typical starfish. What kinds would you suggest? Thanks for helping me.


Answer
Hi Beth. Most starfish, although readily available on the market, should not be kept in an aquarium. Most of the nutritional requirements are still unknown and most will end up dying of starvation with in a years time. The only exceptions are the brittle stars and some of the linkia stars. The spotted linkia(linkia multifora) seems to be one of the easiest and longest lived in the aquarium. The cousin to this starfish the blue linkia has been known to exist for up to two years in an aquarium before it eventually dies of malnutrition. These two would be the best pick but can be hard to find or very expensive. Their diet consists mostly of meaty marine foods and some algae grazing as well. Their natural diet is unknown so malnutrition can still be a problem. If you have your heart set on a starfish then I recommend one of these as a good choice. However I do not recommend keeping any starfish because their feeding behaviors and diets can not completely be duplicated in an enclosed system and they all will eventually live a very short life caused by starvation and malnutrition.