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Little Shop of Coral

Red Knob Starfish (Protoreaster linckii)

Red Knob Starfish (Protoreaster linckii)

$80.00 CAD
$80.00 CAD
Sale Sold out
Size

The Red Knob Starfish is a bold, eye-catching sea star with raised red knobs and a thick, armored look. It is a great display invertebrate for larger, stable marine aquariums, especially fish-only systems. While very interesting to watch, this species is not reef safe long-term and needs target feeding to thrive.

Why we love it

  • Striking red knobs and a classic showpiece sea star look

  • Tough, slow-moving, and easy to observe

  • Great feature invert for larger fish-only displays

  • Fun to watch when it feeds and moves across rockwork

Care and Compatibility

Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Safe: No
Diet: Omnivore with a strong meaty preference
Adult Size: Up to ~10 to 12"
Minimum Tank Size: 75 to 100 gallons recommended

Feeding (Very Important)

This species does best with regular target feeding.

  • Offer small pieces of shrimp, clam, squid, or other meaty marine foods

  • Place the food under the starfish near the center area and let it grab and feed

  • Feed consistently, especially in very clean tanks

Tank and Setup Notes

  • Best in established, stable tanks with plenty of rockwork to explore

  • Keep parameters stable, sea stars do not tolerate rapid swings

  • Never use copper-based medications in a system with sea stars

  • Avoid long air exposure during transfers when possible

Compatibility Tips

  • Not reef safe. It may eat soft corals, sponges, clams, and other invertebrates

  • Best kept in fish-only or very carefully planned systems

  • Avoid housing with fish that pick at invertebrates such as many puffers and triggers

Acclimation and Health

Slow drip acclimation is strongly recommended. Once settled and feeding consistently, it can do well long-term in stable systems with appropriate care.

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LIGHT

LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.

MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height. 

HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.

FLOW

LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.

MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.

HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.

SKILL

ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.

While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.

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