Small Red Knobbed Starfish on tank front glass.

This is the smallest Red Knobbed Starfish to date that i have seen & handled. This was also during the Exhibition last year. In spite of requesting for the same size again i have only been dissappointed repeatedly. You see the normal available size of this or any other Indian starfish varieties ranges from 3.5 inches to 9 inches. Having at least one of these critters in your tank makes it a combination of beauty with a purpose. The starfish is a detrivore as well as a good indicator of the water parameters in the tank. Though the organism is a detrivore & an oppurtunistic feeder you will still have to feed it at least once in a fortnight. They can be fed small pieces of soaked krill. Soak the krill or dry prawn only in fresh water & place it next to any of the arms of the starfish. The starfish will not tolerate ammonia NH3, No2, pH or even NO3 level fluctuations in the aquarium. If you have a starfish & it is constantly at the top, as if it was trying to get out of the tank, then check your water parameters & take remedial measures. They also do not like sudden salinity changes. They also exhibit the same behaviour if there are low levels of oxygen in the tank. A starfish is a bottom dwelling organism & should be seen at the bottom on the coral sand, on the rockwork, on the glass sides & not at the water level trying to get out of the tank. When they die in a tank it becomes obvious only when it's body starts disintegrating & ammonia bubbles form & the sand below the dead star becomes black. The best thing to do is to always make sure that the starfish is moving around in your tank.