Asterina maybe eatingmy zoas

spspirate · Mar 5, 2013

Has anybody had this issue with these little stars? I notice some blue zoas looked as if they were drying up. So with close inspection I noticed a couple little asterinas on them. What species out of 30+ I have no idea but I wonder if they stressing out or even eating my zoas. I know that they are very beneficial to the environment but not this?

bct15 · Mar 5, 2013

I've seen people report this, I've never experienced it personally. I have asterinas in my tank but right now I guess only good ones.

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phi delt reefer · Mar 5, 2013

Funny you bring this up.

A fellow reefer couldnt keep zoas so he asked me to hold his few remaining colonies. When we pulled them from his tank i noticed a couple asterina stars centred over the polyps. I pulled off the visable ones and took them home. I dipped the zoas in revive and 2 dozen asterina stars came out of the frags. Zoas were in really bad shape too. No color and were missig skirts and were barely a few mm across when open. Its now been three days and they are showimg some color and i see the start of a skirt on a few.

You need to get some harlequin shrimp in your tank and let them go to town on those stars. I can vouch for a zoa eating species and can tell you they do some real damage if left unchecked. They also seem to like GSP.

Hope that helps

spspirate · Mar 5, 2013

Thanks bro!

amppdx · Mar 5, 2013

I have several zoa varieties and for some reason my "Fire and Ice" and "Tubbs Blues" frags will occasionally shrivel up, lose their skirts, start thinning out between polyps and even have the edges of the colony come off the plug. I inspect them closely everytime, but never find anything (I have never dipped them when this happens though). I usually relocate the frag to another location and after 2 or 3 weeks they slowly make a full recovery. I have lots of stars in my sump, but have not seen them in the display. Just wanted to share my observations for what its worth.

spspirate · Mar 5, 2013

Thanks

Pappy · Mar 5, 2013

I've got tons of zoas and tons of asterinas.....never have had an issue other than zoas would close up and re open. Recently purchased a harlequin and asterinas are almost gone.

joshporksandwich · Mar 5, 2013

Actually I just put 3 harlequins in my tank for this reason. A friend of mine would always tell me that asterinas eat the connecting tissue between the zoas and shortly after they die. Sadly I had an explosion of asterinas and some of my Z&Ps started looking deflated and I would see them on top of the colonies. Lost some frags after I would see a few on top of them. Some colonies of 50+ now are a lot smaller but harlequins are doing their job and my babies seem to be making a comeback.

spspirate · Mar 5, 2013

Awesome! Good to hear;)

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JMMJ13902 · Nov 8, 2013

Tagging along...

JMMJ13902 · Nov 8, 2013

Tagging along...

JMMJ13902 · Nov 8, 2013

Tagging along...

JMMJ13902 · Nov 8, 2013

Why it's making three threads?? Urghhhh :)

JMMJ13902 · Nov 8, 2013

I'm trying to reply to the other thread but somehow it goes back to this one? Weirds

Djannel · Nov 8, 2013

Same here, I've lost my shazzams, CARS, and Oompa Loompas to these suckers. Just remember that when it decimates the Asterina population you need to feed it a regular starfish, chocolate chip seems to be the cheaper option for me.

Lokipsl · Nov 8, 2013

I had this happen to me too. Always has asterinas in my tank, one day they must of all thought that zoas would make a great meal... I put a harlequin shrimp in there to handle the problem.

RKLion · Nov 8, 2013

I also have lost a few zoas to asterinas. Took me a while to figure it out. I think I will try a harlequin. Anyone have any problems with harlequins other then feeding them?...

RKLion · Nov 8, 2013

Also it seems like asterinas sense weak polyps and they go after the ones that are weaker in my tank. Any thoughts ?...

Ai71 · Nov 8, 2013

Same here in the UK little blighters lol.. no matter how hard you try to keep them at bay the seem to appear out of nowhere. they have also eaten my zoas before but I was on the understanding they only eat rotting flesh as the zoas die but ive seen them decimate a small frag of a few polyps holding onto them like something out of alien

NanaReefer · Nov 8, 2013

Are any of you noticing the color of the offending Astrenia's? My tank is loaded with the totally white ones and I have never seen them on any of my zoa's. I have read often that it is the off white to blueish grey ones that do the munching.

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