Asterina Starfish

Kehaulani · May 2, 2015

So I hear some species are reef safe and some aren't. My question is how do you know the difference? I have one in my tank but don't know if I should remove it or not. Any suggestions? Also do they multiply fast?
TIA
~Kehau

Tahoe61 · May 2, 2015

There are hundreds of different types of Asterina, even Marine Biologist have a difficult time ID'ing each specifically. Number of arms is not an indicator of type. Coloration maybe some help, bluish are sometimes coralline algae eaters, speckled gray film algae eaters. The most common issues with those types we regularly encounter are population explosions and coral eaters. I have a wait and watch policy regarding Asterina.

Kehaulani · May 2, 2015

Gotcha. I have a bongo shrimp that needs to eat so I'm hoping he'll eat the starfish once I put him in the tank. However, I'm worried he might start nipping at things if he doesn't get eaten

redfishbluefish · May 2, 2015

I have white Asterina in my tank...for nine years..... and never had any issue with them eating corals. I don't know if there is any truth in this statement, but I was told that the white ones don't eat corals. It certainly is the case with my white ones.

Kehaulani · May 2, 2015

redfishbluefish said:
I have white Asterina in my tank...for nine years..... and never had any issue with them eating corals. I don't know if there is any truth in this statement, but I was told that the white ones don't eat corals. It certainly is the case with my white ones.

This is what mine looks like? What do you think good or bad?

nazzman · May 2, 2015

I swear that when I had a outbreak 4years ago my zoas started to disappear I would pluck out 30 to 40 at a time everytime I see one its gone can never rid of those things

moulton712 · May 3, 2015

Kehaulani said:
This is what mine looks like? What do you think good or bad?

I hate these things. The one you have looks like what's been eating my zoa colonies. I had a 100+ p colony of red hornets melt. I popped open the rock they were on and found a few of these jerks. I dipped all my Zoas (and acans, they didn't look good either) and put them in my other tanks. Some regained health (all acans went happy again) some didn't make it. I bought a harlequin shrimp to rid my display. I'm waiting a few more months before I try to put an expensive frag/colony back in there.

My personal opinion is I wouldn't have any.

cloak · May 3, 2015

I don't trust them either. The fact that nobody can distinguish the good ones from the bad ones is reason enough for me to treat them all as bad. As soon as I see one it gets tossed.

On a side note, it seems as though a lot of people who say that they haven't had ay problems with these things usually have large tanks. (100+) You wouldn't expect to wake up one morning and find a large colony of zoanthids is missing or some of your sps corals have been stripped down to the bone, but the damage these things might be doing can very easily go unnoticed. In smaller tanks things are much more "under the microscope" so to say. Throw a bunch of these things in a fully stocked mixed nano tank and see what happens... Odds are there's probably going to be some issues IMO. GL.

Tahoe61 · May 3, 2015

^Excellent point!

Kehaulani · May 3, 2015

Yes good points. Thanks everyone. I have a bongo shrimp in my tank so he needs food. That's why I was asking about this starfish. Ever since yesterday, he's just been on the glass so I'm hoping he gets eaten soon but then again if he stays in eye sight I can keep an eye on him