Asterina starfish eating zoas!

[TRPlacek]

I'm unable to tag kron but he also has same thread as this with a pic of an asterina which looks identical to the ones in my pic. also the zoas in his pic are bright red as well. I feel they target this color of zoa.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Not sure what a video will prove over this pic but I'll try to get the go pro set up.

it would show every one a star actually eating the zoa, rather than the star on the zoa, maybe eating something.

I too have the "zoa eating stars" but have never lost a zoa to one.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

can you get video of them eating the zoa. it would end all discussion. time lapse maybe. its long been rumored, lets get proof

Great minds think alike (if anyone says "fools seldom differ", I'm going to kick your bootie ). I was coming in to ask for the very same thing! I would LOVE to see video. PLEASE if you see it going on, it would be so SO awesome to have a video of them on it eating and followup of damage. It would be the highlight of the year for me.

 

[TRPlacek]

it would show every one a star actually eating the zoa, rather than the star on the zoa, maybe eating something.

I too have the "zoa eating stars" but have never lost a zoa to one.

Go pro is set up. Set on 30 sec time lapse. not sure it will capture what you're hoping to see. just picked another star off this morning. guess I should have left him for the video purpose. only 2 polyps left.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

*crosses fingers*

Not that I want them to eat your zoas.... I feel like an ambulance chaser sometimes.

 

[TRPlacek]

If I can't get video of them by tomorrow then I plan to put the zoas in another tank and attempt to save them.

 

[Ryengoth]

I have zoas galore and asterinas everywhere. My zoas are growing like crazy still. I'd be inclined to agree that they are consuming dying coral tissue and not actually the healthy stuff. I've seen them on my zoa rocks and frags as well and even the random rock-stickers are still around by themselves with asterinas all over the place. I have pulled older brown top and younger white stars out during a PO4 bust so I know I have all generations of those as well as masses of stomas, colonista snails and every rock I've puled has had at least one bristle worm in it.

 

[Ryengoth]

As far as colors I have solid red, bright green, red with pink, solid pink and red with green.

 

[TRPlacek]

I have zoas galore and asterinas everywhere. My zoas are growing like crazy still. I'd be inclined to agree that they are consuming dying coral tissue and not actually the healthy stuff. I've seen them on my zoa rocks and frags as well and even the random rock-stickers are still around by themselves with asterinas all over the place. I have pulled older brown top and younger white stars out during a PO4 bust so I know I have all generations of those as well as masses of stomas, colonista snails and every rock I've puled has had at least one bristle worm in it.

I too have a 90 with a bunch of zoas and asterina with no issues but if you look at the pic there are two different asterina stars on the plug. and the two that are actually eating the zoas have been identified in other photos of eating zoas. I am not saying I am 100% sure on this but the actions that have taken place over the last few months are enough proof for me to eliminate them.

 

[Mmbra]

Every time this gets posted people say its dying tissue. There are all kinds of asterina stars. The ones i have are the darker variety. All i have is my own anecdotal evidence to go by, and once i got the harlequin shrimp my zoas stopped dissapearing.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

There's no doubt that there are some that eat corals, as there is a cool picture out there that shows it. It was on a gorgonia or something.... I'll have to go find it. We just don't know if it's a particular species or even if it's a particular species and only under certain conditions.

 

[cloak]

This is not my picture, but you get the idea... Do these stars look familiar?

 

[Mmbra]

yeah thats exactly the type i have cloak.

 

[TRPlacek]

Btw, here is an after pic of the two zoas they were munching on.

Ando the original before pic

 

[Second Shot]

Every time this gets posted people say its dying tissue. There are all kinds of asterina stars. The ones i have are the darker variety. All i have is my own anecdotal evidence to go by, and once i got the harlequin shrimp my zoas stopped dissapearing.

I agree. When I restarted my tank I bought a zoa frag to test the water. I noticed a grayish asterina star on it. I pulled it off and the polyp it was on top of had a slice out of it. Few days later the polyp started to heal. Don't think it was dying tissue if it started healing right after taking the star off. I just think some asterinas are fine and others aren't and that is why we see conflicting reports.

 

[mhaun]

I've lost 3 mini colonies in the past few months. Each time they Are covered in these guys. I try to think that they are only eating dead tissue. But I think otherwise now. My tanks are flourishing and there is no logical reason for the loss when everything else is growing so well.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

There's no doubt that there are some that eat corals, as there is a cool picture out there that shows it. It was on a gorgonia or something.... I'll have to go find it. We just don't know if it's a particular species or even if it's a particular species and only under certain conditions.

I think the picture is in a publication somewhere.... it takes a whole lot longer to search my room for a book than it does to search Google

 

[TRPlacek]

@Lionfish Lair @saltyfilmfolks I will most likely have the video you asked for either today or tomorrow. had the camera up yesterday and an asterina came back to finish off the ones they were eating prior. took the camera offline overnight and set it back up this morning to find the asterina heading for its next victim.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[A. grandis]

Would be great to see pictures of all species of Asterina stars that you guys are coming across...
If you can post with the info.. That would help others...
You guys can take some nice pictures!!
Grandis.