Help with ID

goody · 2026-07-12T17:12:45-0400

This "ball" appeared this morning. I'm wondering if it could be a dropped goniopora baby from a nearby colony, sponge, or maybe it's an oddly shaped asternia. It hasn't moved all day. Any thoughts?

PolypPocket · 2026-07-12T17:23:36-0400

I’m so curious

goody · 2026-07-12T19:03:44-0400

It was an asternia starfish. It was wrapped around a healthy zoa polyp.

EnterName · 2026-07-12T19:30:02-0400

goody said:
It was an asternia starfish. It was wrapped around a healthy zoa polyp.

It was probably trying to eat the zoa...

There are some Asterina and/or Aquilonastra species that eat zoanthids. Every time I see one I take it out of the tank immediately. Without a Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) it's probably impossible to get all of them, but if you keep the numbers low, they won't cause too much trouble.

goody · 2026-07-12T20:05:44-0400

EnterName said:
It was probably trying to eat the zoa...

There are some Asterina and/or Aquilonastra species that eat zoanthids. Every time I see one I take it out of the tank immediately. Without a Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) it's probably impossible to get all of them, but if you keep the numbers low, they won't cause too much trouble.

Yeah, I've been pulling them out of my tank the last couple of weeks.