How to Feed Starfish

Marine scientists now refer to starfish as sea stars, because they're actually echinoderms, not fish. There are more than 2,000 varieties of sea stars. While most species have 5 arms, other sea star species have up to 40 arms. Starfish make an attractive addition to a marine aquarium. The mouth and stomach of a starfish is on its underside. These creatures often push their stomachs out of their bodies and wrap them around their food to digest it.

Things You'll Need

  • Hemostats
  • Various chopped seafood
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Instructions

    • 1

      Identify what kind of starfish you have. If you don't know the species you own, look online, in reference books or ask at your local aquarium supply shop.

    • 2

      Determine what your starfish eats. Some small varieties eat naturally occurring plant life from your aquarium, such as algae, but some are carnivorous or omnivorous.

    • 3

      Pick up a chunk of chopped seafood with some hemostats, or long-handled tweezers. Suitable seafood to use includes prawns, cockles, mussels and squid.

    • 4

      Place the chopped seafood near your starfish. It will soon move on top of the chunk and digest it. The amount you feed will depend on the species you have. Once you know the species, this information is readily available in books and online.