In my old tank I had one species that was harmless and fed on biofilm/algae that came with my live rock early on. I eventually wound up with a different species that came off a frag that immediately started chowing down on my zoa's. I don't disagree with your ideology though I'm sure the corallivore species are rare in our aquariums or wed hear more people cursing about asterina
People definitely report having the variety that munches on Zoas. For that reason, I kind of think if it's crawling up the glass, leave it be, it's likely feeding on biofilm. If it's anywhere near any Zoas, I'd be much more suspicious. I have personally never had the Zoa eating variety, the ones I've had have been fine as far as I could tell. Some claim that the shade or color of the star can be an indicator as to whether or not it eats Zoas, but I would personally lean more towards observing its behavior.
Did you keep Zoas in your old tank?
The only really reliable way to tell them apart is with a microscope but I wouldn't even know what to look for.Did you keep Zoas in your old tank?
I frequently saw them munching on zoa polyps in my tank. It's not too bad if you have a bunch, but if they snack a new expensive frag with a single polyp it's pretty annoying.
I tried to find out if I can differentiate the bad and the good ones, but I haven't been able to find a visual clue that identifies them with certainty. It's already hard enough to tell if they are actually Asterina or Aquilonastra.
Did you keep Zoas in your old tank?
I frequently saw them munching on zoa polyps in my tank. It's not too bad if you have a bunch, but if they snack a new expensive frag with a single polyp it's pretty annoying.
I tried to find out if I can differentiate the bad and the good ones, but I haven't been able to find a visual clue that identifies them with certainty. It's already hard enough to tell if they are actually Asterina or Aquilonastra.
Yes, I've read about that during my research, but I have to upgrade my scope with a second light source to support reflected light microscopy.The only really reliable way to tell them apart is with a microscope but I wouldn't even know what to look for.Did you keep Zoas in your old tank?
I frequently saw them munching on zoa polyps in my tank. It's not too bad if you have a bunch, but if they snack a new expensive frag with a single polyp it's pretty annoying.
I tried to find out if I can differentiate the bad and the good ones, but I haven't been able to find a visual clue that identifies them with certainty. It's already hard enough to tell if they are actually Asterina or Aquilonastra.
Hmm, I see. Not all seem to eat Zoas and it's not their main food source, so you might not have noticed or simply gotten lucky.Did you keep Zoas in your old tank?
I frequently saw them munching on zoa polyps in my tank. It's not too bad if you have a bunch, but if they snack a new expensive frag with a single polyp it's pretty annoying.
I tried to find out if I can differentiate the bad and the good ones, but I haven't been able to find a visual clue that identifies them with certainty. It's already hard enough to tell if they are actually Asterina or Aquilonastra.
I only had zooanthids at one point. They were not any sort of highlight. Back then most were not that attractive and mine did not thrive, though the asterina were not apparently on them. I don’t know if I even ever had them simultaneously.
The asterina seemed mostly on the glass.
