Asterina predators that aren't shrimp

[mushrommy]

Are the asterina bothering anything? I have quite a few and they bother nothing. They usually get on the front glass at night and I'll scrape them off with a net sometimes. For the most part they stay on the back glass. Mine also seem to self regulate their population on their own. I'll have hundreds in my 180g and then one day it will dawn on me that their numbers have decreased.

My zoas are being eaten

 

[mushrommy]

I think I'm going to get bumblebee shrimp.

 

[Stomatopods17]

Sorry for the mix up, also I have a question about the Harlequin shrimp, what type of starfish should I feed them once they run out asterinas.

The cheaps ones, usually chocolate chip starfish. The cheapest method is to stock up a few of them in a sump/QT and chop off a leg of each star until the first regrows its leg, 'rotation method'. They won't touch brittles or serpents, and I've yet to actually witness predation on urchins like some claim.

Bumblebees there's this very little to no evidence of actually eating starfish, to the point its safe to say they don't eat them anymore than crabs probably.

Even if there was and they did they wouldn't target them exclusively, it'd just be something they'd occasionally pick on. You're probably going to end up buying several of them to no noticeable effect, but if you do let us know how that goes and try recording one eating a star.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

What are the Asterina doing, that you want to get rid of them? All mine do is eat algae, including the brown stuff. I’ve observed them with magnification. I know there are probably thousands of different ones, and some harm Corals.

 

[mushrommy]

What are the Asterina doing, that you want to get rid of them? All mine do is eat algae, including the brown stuff. I’ve observed them with magnification. I know there are probably thousands of different ones, and some harm Corals.

Read the second page

 

[mushrommy]

The cheaps ones, usually chocolate chip starfish. The cheapest method is to stock up a few of them in a sump/QT and chop off a leg of each star until the first regrows its leg, 'rotation method'. They won't touch brittles or serpents, and I've yet to actually witness predation on urchins like some claim.

Bumblebees there's this very little to no evidence of actually eating starfish, to the point its safe to say they don't eat them anymore than crabs probably.

Even if there was and they did they wouldn't target them exclusively, it'd just be something they'd occasionally pick on. You're probably going to end up buying several of them to no noticeable effect, but if you do let us know how that goes and try recording one eating a star.

Hmm, idk what to do, my dad disapproves of the Harlequin shrimp, saying it's a waste of money. Also I don't have a sump or a quarantine tank.

 

[Stomatopods17]

Typically the routine is renting harlequins then taking them back when the job is done, you can maybe haggle store credit or trade in depending on the store itself. If you intend on keeping them then there's extra cost in feeding/setting up a rotation holding tank.

If he thinks renting the harlequin to get rid of a problem is a waste of money, he hasn't seen the numerous expenses that is corals, fish going rouge, or velvet outbreaks yet. This is an expensive hobby with a lot of waste and trial and error.

 

[mushrommy]

Typically the routine is renting harlequins then taking them back when the job is done, you can maybe haggle store credit or trade in depending on the store itself. If you intend on keeping them then there's extra cost in feeding/setting up a rotation holding tank.

If he thinks renting the harlequin to get rid of a problem is a waste of money, he hasn't seen the numerous expenses that is corals, fish going rouge, or velvet outbreaks yet. This is an expensive hobby with a lot of waste and trial and error.

Yeah, I know, my dad is cheap, really cheap. Thanks for the reply

 

[mushrommy]

There are definitely other predators of asterinas, Nardoa starfish worked for me to keep asterinas under control, and they do seem to eat left over frozen food they find too. Have had 5 of them in a 75 gallon for about a year and they seem to be doing well.

I've heard you kept a linckea multifora for 11 years! I heard linckeas also eat asterinas!