Cushion Starfish

Care Summary

Cushion Starfish are bulky, colorful sea stars sold frequently in the trade, but they carry a high mortality rate because most specimens are collected from seagrass beds and do not adapt well to standard reef conditions. They require a large, well-established tank with a thick sand bed, ample live rock, and access to natural microalgae and detritus, as they are largely herbivorous and detritivorous grazers. Acclimate them very slowly over several hours when introducing them to a new tank, as they are extremely sensitive to salinity, temperature, and pH shifts, and rushed acclimation is the most common cause of rapid death. Supplement their grazing with blanched spinach, nori, or sinking herbivore pellets to ensure they get enough nutrition in a tank that may not have sufficient natural food sources.