Highlights

Key Facts

• Scientific Name: Protoreaster nodosus

• Common Names: Chocolate Chip Starfish, Horned Sea Star

• Appearance:

  • Thick, rigid body with 5 arms.

  • Brown or black conical spines (“chips”) on a tan, orange, or reddish background.

  • Can grow up to 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter.

• Habitat: Found in the Indo-Pacific region, especially sandy or seagrass beds in shallow waters.

Aquarium Care

• Tank Size: Needs a large, stable marine aquarium (75+ gallons recommended).

• Water Parameters:

  • Temperature: 72–82°F

  • Salinity: 1.023–1.025

  • pH: 8.1–8.4

• Diet: Detritivore and scavenger. Eats sponges, detritus, and sometimes corals or invertebrates.

• Compatibility: Not reef-safe. It may consume soft corals, clams, and other sessile invertebrates. Best kept in a fish-only system.