What is this little guy?

Steve Jones

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
254
Reaction score
112
Location
Kentucky
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My daughter spotted this little guy in the tank this AM. Looks like a starfish hitched his way in? Any idea exactly what it is?
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1462631705.441438.jpg
 

Baby Ray

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
2,870
Reaction score
1,656
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Asternia star. Some people claim they eat coral and others don't. I personally have had no problems with them. I think that they will eat dead or dying coral and people just blame it on them.
 
OP
OP
Steve Jones

Steve Jones

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 15, 2016
Messages
254
Reaction score
112
Location
Kentucky
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Asternia star. Some people claim they eat coral and others don't. I personally have had no problems with them. I think that they will eat dead or dying coral and people just blame it on them.

Yeah - that's what I've read so far on them. Still new to this hobby so I start researching every time I hit something new like this. Seems that Harlequin shrimp are the biological control of choice. Any down side to adding this shrimp if I get too infested and have to look that way?
 

ScottMyers123

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 27, 2015
Messages
490
Reaction score
460
Location
Brandon, MS 39042
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you decide to get the Harlequin shrimp you will have to continue to provide starfish for it when it eats all the asteria stars.
 

Baby Ray

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
2,870
Reaction score
1,656
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Harlequin shrimp will eat all the asternia stars in a month or less if you don't have that many. After that, you would have to feed it a chocolate chip star once a month or so. They only eat life stars and you can't keep an asternia star population large enough to sustain one.
 

NewbieSeth

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
82
Reaction score
35
Location
Clearwater, Fl
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I noticed a very small one about a month ago in my tank. 2 weeks later there was one about twice his size. Pretty cool and I've only ever seen them on the glass. Keeping an eye on them though
 

Zoey

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
174
Reaction score
52
Location
Scotland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ive got loads in my tank and ive found the darker coloured ones like to hang around my zoas, the paler white coloured ones are all over the tank. if you're worried about the starfish it will be fine in your sump.
 

Bpb

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 27, 2014
Messages
4,518
Reaction score
6,169
Location
College Station
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
There are tons of species of asterinas and they all look nearly identical. It's very hard to tell the coral eaters apart from the algae eaters. How do I tell? If it's eating a coral it gets removed. If it's not eating a coral it stays. You need a starfish predator to control them. Manual removal is impossible. They're like aiptasia or mushrooms and can completely regenerate from a tiny piece. I've only had to remove a couple. Usually when they get bigger like nickel or dime sized do I catch them munching on coral, and it's usually sps or Zoas. The tiny ones have been harmless
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

WHAT AMOUNT OF LIVE ROCK AND SAND SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED FOR OPTIMAL BIODIVERSITY/FILTRATION?

  • 100% live rock + bagged sand

    Votes: 34 28.3%
  • 100% dry rock + 100% live sand

    Votes: 41 34.2%
  • 50/50 live/dry rock, 50/50 live/bagged sand

    Votes: 27 22.5%
  • 75% live rock, 25% live sand

    Votes: 10 8.3%
  • 25% live rock, 75% live sand

    Votes: 8 6.7%
Back
Top