Paddletail Starfish

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Tropical Indo-Pacific, from East Africa to the Great Barrier Reef. Found on deep outer slopes and sandy patches near reefs. They occur in shallow waters near reef slopes and sandy patches where organic detritus accumulates.

Taxonomy: Family Oreasteridae, genus Choriaster. Features a thick, pillow-like body with short, stubby, rounded arms resembling fingers. Member of the family Oreasteridae. Easily identified by its thick, pillow-like arms and granulated texture.

Social Behavior: Solitary and slow. Peaceful toward fish, but predatory toward sessile invertebrates. Forages on sand beds and flat rock zones. Peaceful and slow-moving, it spends its time scanning the substrate for food without disturbing other tank inhabitants.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Pale pinkish-beige or cream color, often with darker brown or reddish patches in the center. No visual differences between sexes. The contrast between the pinkish base and dark brown papulae on its back varies among individual specimens.

Tank Setup: Requires a very large tank of at least 400 liters. Needs a spacious sand bed with minimal rock obstructions to allow easy movement. Needs a large, established tank with plenty of open sand area. Rocks must be secure as the starfish is heavy and strong.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous scavenger. Feeds on detritus, carrion, sponges, and small anemones. Supplement with regular feedings of chopped fish or shrimp meat. Feed frozen shrimp, clams, and squid placed directly under the starfish. They require target feeding in captivity.

Water Quality: Keep standard marine parameters stable. pH 8.0-8.3, specific gravity 1.023-1.025. Avoid high nitrates and water chemistry fluctuations. High sensitivity to fluctuations in salinity and temperature. Drip acclimation for several hours is highly recommended.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Not reef-safe. Will consume corals, sponges, and sessile invertebrates. Best kept in a fish-only system with peaceful tankmates. Not safe for reef tanks with corals or sponges, which it may consume. Keep with peaceful fish.

Aquarium Breeding: Not recorded in home aquariums. Wild reproduction is sexual, releasing gametes into the water column. Captive spawning is currently undocumented due to the difficulty in maintaining viable larval cultures.

Risks and Diseases: Highly sensitive to copper treatments. Slow drip acclimation is mandatory to prevent tissue necrosis from osmotic shock. Highly prone to rapid tissue necrosis (RTN) if exposed to sudden drops in salinity or high nitrates.