What's so bad about asterinas?

ScottB

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They are not a problem -- until they become a problem. IME, once the population gets larger, they will start to go after zoanthids. Particularly the expensive ones in my experience.

For a while, I was picking off 50 or so each night with long tweezers.
 

andrewey

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+1 Some are bad and munch on corals. Others wrongly assume they are a pest.

On every tank I've run, I've sought them out and seed my tanks with them. They're a welcome bit of the clean up crew! I only introduce stars that I know are not coral munchers- if I'm unsure, I test them in QT with a "sacraficial coral". In my experience, 80-90% don't go after coral. However, I NEVER introduce any asterinas if they're found on/around coral, only those eating detritus off the glass.
 

Hemmdog

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They can eat coral, also they eat coralline which usually helps curb nuisance algae growth on surfaces. When I had some I manually removed them off the glass everyday until they were gone. Took about two weeks.
 

andrewey

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If you have a ton and can hold them in a container for a day, you might try listing them on the livestock forum. Someone who wants to seed their tank or especially anyone with a Harlequin shrimp would likely pay the shipping for you to mail them (they ship pretty well in my experience).
 
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noobreefer2

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If you have a ton and can hold them in a container for a day, you might try listing them on the livestock forum. Someone who wants to seed their tank or especially anyone with a Harlequin shrimp would likely pay the shipping for you to mail them (they ship pretty well in my experience).

That sounds awesome! I don't have experience with shipping live goods though. :)
 
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noobreefer2

noobreefer2

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Got one!
CEBCB1EC-FDC4-4666-8963-4E43E335956B_1_105_c.jpeg
 

laurichj

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It all depends on the species.

I've had some for 12+ years, they don't eat coralline or corals just detritus and film algae. They're 90% of my cleanup crew, reproduce for free and the population fluctuates to reflect the need for them. They'll intentionally go into any future tank.
 

vetteguy53081

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They cant be trusted, breed like mice as they break off a leg which they grow back and the broken leg grows into a new star and the cycle repeats. I a month you can have 30 or more.
In my experience , they ate half a colony of bam Bam zoa which is slowly coming back
 

Brian_68

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They ate my zoas and strip the coralline. A harlequin shrimp took care of the hundreds I had in less than 2 months and they have not returned.
 

plasticsurgeonreefer

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They reproduced like crazy in my tank, ate all my coralline algae, then phos,nitrates and ammonia bumped up, a ton of coral died. I consider them pests.
 

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