Chocolate Chip Starfish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Broadly distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Inhabits shallow sandy or muddy flats and seagrass beds.

Taxonomy: Member of the Oreasteridae family. Features a heavy body with five thick arms covered in dark brown, horn-like nodules.

Social Behavior: Solitary scavenger and predator. Moves slowly along the bottom searching for sessile invertebrates and food remnants.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body ranges from cream-white to orange or brown, with dark contrasting knobs. No visible sexual dimorphism.

Tank Setup: Large FOWLR tanks (minimum 100 gallons) with plenty of open sand area and stable rock structures are best.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Must be fed directly with meaty foods like chopped shrimp, squid, or clam placed under its body.

Water Quality: Keep salinity constant at 1.022-1.026. Highly sensitive to rapid changes in water parameters.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Not reef-safe. Will eat soft corals, anemones, sponges, and clams. Keep with large, non-aggressive fish.

Aquarium Breeding: Broadcast spawning species; captive reproduction is exceptionally rare.

Risks and Diseases: Prone to melting/decay if exposed to sudden drops in salinity. Extremely sensitive to copper treatments.