Red Reef Starfish

This brightly colored animal may be solid ruby red, sometimes with black tips on its arms, or may be bright orange. It is usually found crawling on the glass or live rock searching for food. A sand substrate helps to generate enough natural food, which consists mainly of biofilm and microalgae. It is completely reef safe and does not bother corals. If it is kept with competing animals, such as other starfish, the aquarium must be large enough to support all animals.

Echinoderms such as starfish are extremely sensitive to changes in the water quality. They require well established aquariums of at least 6 months for both water stability and sufficient food supply. It grows up to 6 inches and needs an aquarium at least 100 gallons.