Starfish ID

[Misha]

What kind of starfish is this?

 

[mta_morrow]

Asterina. Some folks say they eat zoas. I have never had an issue with them in my tank. They can reproduce very quickly

Your call on whether to remove or say....”cool!”

 

[BadFish619]

Asterina... you're going to get a lot of responses on keep it or get rid of it. I'll say they don't get bigger than that but they multiply quickly. They like to eat coraline so you'll see bare spots on rocks and they can cause damage to some coral.

 

[Misha]

Not a very good combination with a zoa garden I want. I guess what’s the best way to get rid of them?

 

[sharky79]

Asterina... you're going to get a lot of responses on keep it or get rid of it. I'll say they don't get bigger than that but they multiply quickly. They like to eat coraline so you'll see bare spots on rocks and they can cause damage to some coral.

I'm currently going through the same issue, found one and I'm waiting for it to give me a reason to get a harlequin [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12] few more weeks and I should know for sure. I have some corals and so far it hasn't messed with them or any softies. Yet is the word! Just keep an eye on whatever you have. Research says they are a good cuc, and will keep down bad algae, but if you like your coraline, you may wanna remove it. But more then likely, you see one you will see 20 more later. Choices choices...I'm waiting to see what it does personally. But i dont think anyone ever bought them on purpose.

 

[mta_morrow]

Not a very good combination with a zoa garden I want. I guess what’s the best way to get rid of them?

Fingers or forceps.

 

[BadFish619]

I'm currently going through the same issue, found one and I'm waiting for it to give me a reason to get a harlequin [emoji12] [emoji12] [emoji12] few more weeks and I should know for sure. I have some corals and so far it hasn't messed with them or any softies. Yet is the word! Just keep an eye on whatever you have. Research says they are a good cuc, and will keep down bad algae, but if you like your coraline, you may wanna remove it. But more then likely, you see one you will see 20 more later. Choices choices...I'm waiting to see what it does personally. But i dont think anyone ever bought them on purpose.

I hear you have to keep feeding that harlequin or he'll go after fish.

 

[sharky79]

Fingers or forceps.

I tried prying mine off with finger and that proved difficult. Wait till he gets on glass and should be easier. But I will say mine loves my LR too much. I am kinda new to this issue, so maybe someone else has an idea other then getting a harlequin to eat him, but if you buy one, you will need to buy SF for him bc that is all he eats. That's why I'm waiting to see what happens to my tank. Best case is he thrives and no issues and eats my algae. Worst case is I have an outbreak of them and I need to rid the problem with a harlequin. I have a friend who's having SF issues and if mine gets worse we are chipping in on a harlequin together and trade him back and forth. Other then that , that is all the advice I have. I'm sure others have ideas, just research a little and make a decision is all I can say to do.....

 

[Misha]

I actually like the harlequin but heard he will eat zoa’s?

 

[shred5]

There are different kinds some are good and some are bad.
I have had ones that do not touch anything and are completely reef safe.

 

[Misha]

There are different kinds some are good and some are bad.
I have had ones that do not touch anything and are completely reef safe.

Do you know which kind is reef safe?

 

[sharky79]

I actually like the harlequin but heard he will eat zoa’s?

I believe he will if you dont feed him SF....as well other fish. SF feeding is a must with harlequins. maybe someone else can chime in on that who has more experience but with the research I've done, that would be correct.

 

[Misha]

I believe he will if you dont feed him SF....as well other fish. SF feeding is a must with harlequins. maybe someone else can chime in on that who has more experience but with the research I've done, that would be correct.

Can I get SF at my LFS? Does it need to be alive or can I feed chopped SF?

 

[shred5]

Do you know which kind is reef safe?

Not always because some have pretty subtle differences.

Those in the link below are certainly bad and all the bad ones I have see so far look just like them.
Hard to tell from the picture but your does not look the same.

http://www.garf.org/STAR/starfish.html

 

[norfolkgarden]

Lol, I made a canned response for this one.



Asterina starfish

Cute aren't they?

Unfortunately,
Kill it with fire!

They will compete with difficult to keep, beautiful, fromia and linkia stars.

They also have a taste for zoas. Possibly a taste for coraline algae.
There are multiple varieties and they all look alike. Supposedly some are harmless and some are a terror.

6 years ago we intentionally added a few white ones from the LFS and I thought they were really cute.

Have removed over 500 in the past several years and the majority of them are now grey or even black (supposedly the ones most likely to damage other creatures).
In my mind there is no difference. They all need to be removed.

Begun eradication 2 years ago.
1st month 200
2nd month 100
Rest of year 200.
Since then 100.

They are the gift that keeps on giving.

Took out 3 more this weekend.
[emoji53]

 

[mta_morrow]

I hear you have to keep feeding that harlequin or he'll go after fish.

Harlequin shrimp ONLY eat starfish. If they eat all they can find in your tank, they will starve and die.

You can feed them chocolate chip starfish, which a lot of people do. But that's another story.

If you belong to a local club, many times they pass the harlequins around.

 

[Auquanut]

Hi Misha. What size tank do you have? Do you have a lot of rockwork? What kind of fish do you have? The reason I ask is this: From my research and experience, Harlequin shrimp are reef safe. They ONLY eat starfish, and they are very good at it. Which means that when the asterinas are gone, it will have to be fed some other starfish. They also are not shy (mine isn't anyway). If you have any predatory fish, a harlequin may not last long.

Some people will add a small starfish periodically to feed the harlequin, or keep a chocolate chip starfish in the sump and periodically break off a leg. If you have a large tank with a lot of asterinas, you may be able to keep harlequins without supplemental feedings. The down side to that is that you have to accept a certain amount of asterinas in your tank.

If you don't have a large tank with a serious asterina problem, I'd suggest that you remove them manually.

 

[Misha]

Hi Misha. What size tank do you have? Do you have a lot of rockwork? What kind of fish do you have? The reason I ask is this: From my research and experience, Harlequin shrimp are reef safe. They ONLY eat starfish, and they are very good at it. Which means that when the asterinas are gone, it will have to be fed some other starfish. They also are not shy (mine isn't anyway). If you have any predatory fish, a harlequin may not last long.

Some people will add a small starfish periodically to feed the harlequin, or keep a chocolate chip starfish in the sump and periodically break off a leg. If you have a large tank with a lot of asterinas, you may be able to keep harlequins without supplemental feedings. The down side to that is that you have to accept a certain amount of asterinas in your tank.

If you don't have a large tank with a serious asterina problem, I'd suggest that you remove them manually.

Hi, my tank is a 63l nano tank with 6/7kg of rock, I got 2 small ocellaris (they will get a bigger home when it’s time) and a gobiodon.

A time back I saw a FS I’m sure it was a asterina. The one I saw today I wasn’t sure.

I actually like the harlequin but won’t be an option as I can’t keep a starfish in a sump as it’s a AIO tank.

I will remove them manually untill they get a pest

Maybe I can borrow a harlequin from my lfs or another local reefer

 

[Emarley]

Harlequin shrimp ONLY eat starfish. If they eat all they can find in your tank, they will starve and die.

You can feed them chocolate chip starfish, which a lot of people do. But that's another story.

If you belong to a local club, many times they pass the harlequins around.

Sorry to hijack the thread, But I’ve a question if anyone can answer. How many asterinas would a harlequin eat, on average, per week?

 

[Auquanut]

Sorry to hijack the thread, But I’ve a question if anyone can answer. How many asterinas would a harlequin eat, on average, per week?

That may be hard to answer. I can only give my experience. I have 125 gallon tank that had an asterina EXPLOSION! I manually removed well over a hundred within a few days. I put one small harlequin shrimp in the tank shortly after, and he made an impact almost immediately. He has been keeping them in check for the past 6 months (and he's grown like crazy). I still see several asterinas on the glass every morning before the lights come on, but they're not a problem like they were before. I'd love to have another harlequin shrimp, but I'm sure there would not be enough for 2 to eat. If I ever stop seeing the starfish, it'll be time to re-home Harley.

So to answer your question, I really don't have any good idea, but it's a lot. Hope this helps.