African Red Knob Sea Star

About

The African Red Knob Sea Star (Protoreaster linckii) is one of the more recognizable sea stars in the marine hobby, sporting a pale grey or cream body laced with a vivid red lattice pattern and rows of prominent red knobs running along each arm. It hails from shallow coastal waters and reef flats around the Indian Ocean and East African coastline, where it roams sandy and rubble-strewn bottoms in search of food. In the wild, this species is an opportunistic scavenger and predator, making short work of sponges, soft corals, and other invertebrates it encounters. Which is an important thing to keep in mind before adding one to a reef tank. A fish-only or FOWLR setup suits it much better than a living reef, since it will not discriminate between decorative corals and a meal. Despite that caveat, it carries a beginner-friendly reputation when placed in the right environment, largely because it adapts reasonably well to aquarium life and does not require the highly specialized conditions that trip up many other echinoderms. Give it ample room to wander, a sandy substrate to move across, and a stable, well-established system, and this sea star tends to settle in without too much fuss.