Asterina starfish eating SPS

[shoelaceike]

I started noticing tissue loss on some of my SPS and figured out its these starfish eating it. I manually pulled a bunch out but there has to be a million more in there....I got a Harlequin shrimp but he seems content just sitting by my eels cave....not much hunting for starfish and the eel will probably eat him lol. Any other ideas how to rid these pests?

 

[cloak]

I think using some vinyl hosing and siphoning them out one by one is probably your best bet. The Harlequin shrimp will definitely help, but your much more efficient at removing these things then they ever will be. GL.

 

[Salty1962]

I had a Harlequin that sat around for the first week and then cleaned out the starfish within 2 weeks. Give him enough time to acclimate and he'll go for them quickly.

 

[gig 'em]

When I trying to rid my tank of carnivorous snails I jacked my Mg level up to 2200 ppm and it also killed off all my stars. I'm sure it would knock out yours too. Just make sure you remove any cleanup crew you don't want to be a part of the destruction.

I've heard Harlequin work too, but most of my friends have had asterinas pop back up after removing the shrimp.

 

[mrtian97]

is harlequin shrimp reef safe, I am having the same issue

 

[shoelaceike]

Yes they are.

 

[Kershaw]

Get couple more shrimp they will eat them

 

[mrtian97]

I have a mid sized fire shrimp in the tank, will he fight with the harlequin?
I also have a regular starfish, not sure the name, medium sized, will the harlequin attack the regular starfish?

 

[mrtian97]

I have a mid sized fire shrimp in the tank, will he fight with the harlequin?
I also have a regular starfish, not sure the name, medium sized, will the harlequin attack the regular starfish?

 

[Kershaw]

Yes they will eat all star fish. With the exception of some brittle stars I think.

 

[Kershaw]

I had thousands of these white star fish in a tank. 2 harliquen shrim devastated them in no time.

 

[ajcanale]

This is just based on pure observation and personal experience, I think these starfish get a bad rep because people are misunderstanding what is happening. This applies to more than SPS but I believe they are eating dying, or unhealthy flesh. I have a lot of acros and a whole lot of asterenias... white ones, grey ones, white with grey splotch, and have only seem them on a living acro once and it was one that was having a bit of an STN phase. The health of the colony has since began to turn around and I've yet to notice one on it since.

And no, before anyone suggests it, the asterenia was not causing the STN.

Just my experience and 2 cents of course! :)

 

[Kershaw]

This is just based on pure observation and personal experience, I think these starfish get a bad rep because people are misunderstanding what is happening. This applies to more than SPS but I believe they are eating dying, or unhealthy flesh. I have a lot of acros and a whole lot of asterenias... white ones, grey ones, white with grey splotch, and have only seem them on a living acro once and it was one that was having a bit of an STN phase. The health of the colony has since began to turn around and I've yet to notice one on it since.

And no, before anyone suggests it, the asterenia was not causing the STN.

Just my experience and 2 cents of course! :)

I like what is said here. I need to point out mine never touched my coral, I have even had a urchin who I swear to this day was eating my montis when there was nothing else in tank to eat. I do reserve the right to be wrong, and it is possible that there are a species of these star fish that do eat coral. But I think what @ajcanale said is more likely. I got tieres of knocking the thousands of star fish off my glass and I always wanted harliquen shrimp. How ever I only got to view mine under moon lights.

 

[ajcanale]

I like what is said here. I need to point out mine never touched my coral, I have even had a urchin who I swear to this day was eating my montis when there was nothing else in tank to eat. I do reserve the right to be wrong, and it is possible that there are a species of these star fish that do eat coral. But I think what @ajcanale said is more likely. I got tieres of knocking the thousands of star fish off my glass and I always wanted harliquen shrimp. How ever I only got to view mine under moon lights.

Yeah, I'd compare it to a bristle worm being "caught" eating a dead fish. Some people jump to conclusions and assume that they were the ones that killed it, when the more likely scenario is that it died from other reasons and they are consuming the remains, all while preventing a potential ammonia spike.
I have no clue about your urchin situation though :eek:

 

[Kershaw]

Lol yea I was running a low nutrient system which could have been a issue. I had no algae!! I mean none no coraline or anything, didn't. Start that wAy. But once there was no algae I would catch the urchin on my monti caps next day there would be a bleached spot in place where urchin was about size of a dime.

 

[oceanrider]

in my tank, I saw a small 6 legged asterina go clean up the broken fragged area, but as he mowed thru it, he also scrapped off somme of the tissue at the base of my acropora.

I think if they are hungry, with no detritus and happen upon some coral tissue, they will eat it.

 

[Mattrg02]

I’ve got hundreds in my tank and never seen them hurt anything. I’ve seen them eat film off frag plugs, then go on their way.

I never knew Harlequins would be satisfied by asternias. I’ve always wanted a harlequin:-)

 

[OriginalUserName]

I had some asterina that would eat into my chalices. A big bacteria bloom wiped them out and then manual removal with tongs has taken care of the rest (I think).

Get couple more shrimp they will eat them

And then they will starve! My guy would eat a dozen a day.

 

[Gmerek2]

I didn’t have time to read much of this but IMO they only eat dead or about to die corals. The hobbiest sees them on the coral and blames the starfish instead of parameter swing

 

[Whysosalty]

Isn’t this the great debate? I’ve heard everywhere these starfish eat polyps. I’ve also heard they don’t eat polyps, that they will eat the dead tissues off the polyps.