Fromia ghardaquana

Mortensen, 1936

Ghardaqa's Brittle Star

Range: Indian Ocean: Red Sea.

Size: 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits lagoons and outer reef shelves on all kinds of substrates and sometimes found beneath rubble during daytime

General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the aquarium trade.

Generally consumes detritus, thin bacterial films and microalgae.

Best not placed into new aquariums, as there is not enough natural food to consume. To supplement their diet, occasional feedings of sinking shrimp pellets and/or small pieces of fish or mussel flesh is recommended.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Echinodermata

Class: Asteroidea

Order: Valvatida

Family: Goniasteridae

Genus: Fromia

FYI: Sensitive to salinity changes.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Diet: Omnivore

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: Yes

Acclimation Time: Sensitive to specific gravity/salinity changes, therefore be sure to adjust the bag's water to that of the aquarium in which it will be placed by slowly adding small amounts of aquarium water to the bag every few minutes. In most cases, this process should take at least 15 minutes.

Aquarium Hardiness: Moderate

Temperature Range: 72 - 83°F (22 - 28°C)

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025

pH: 8.0 - 8.4