How to Care for a Blacktip Starfish
- 1). Introduce the starfish to the tank. Float the plastic bag the starfish came in and add small amounts of tank water to the bag over a period of several hours. Do not let the starfish, or any part of its body, become exposed to air, which could kill it.
- 2). Allow the starfish to acclimatize for one or two days before feeding.
- 3). Drop small amounts of flake fish food on or near the starfish to supplement the food in the tank. Provide small pieces of meaty food, such as shrimp, fish or shellfish, occasionally. Although blacktip starfish may scavenge for food in the tank, this species has been known to starve if not provided with extra food. Feed it a few times a week, gauging how much to feed by how much the starfish eats at a time.
- 4). Conduct weekly nitrate tests and increase the amount or frequency of water changes if levels rise.
