Very well said Mike and Elementalj! I will continue to take them out of my tank on a weekly basis. I would like to see a lil more research on these. I think it would definitely benefit everyone that has an issue.
Asterina starfish?
- Thread starter Leyth
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I have never understood the quandary of are Asterina coral eaters or are they not. It seems to me that with hundreds of different types of Asterina from vastly different geographical locations it should not be surprising that the rare few are coral eaters, and some are probable opportunistic feeders.
Personally I have always been a wait and see type of hobbyist. The typical hobbyist is so involved with their tanks and investments that they view the tank obsessively,
. If you see an Asterina on or around the base of corals routinely than that should be a cause for concern. If you notice Asterina wandering around with legs missing frequently then you're probably going to see an increase in numbers and it's time to get aggressive and manually remove them. See link below.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/45-reefkeeping-101-
Debates over the nature of Asterina sp. stars have been waged for as long as these creatures have been observed in marine tanks. The sheer number that a tank can support is startling and can often fool the new aquarist into believing they simply must be eating their prized coral specimens. On the other hand, there are seasoned aquarists who have lived with Asterina sp. for decades with no noticeable problems. These contradictions can be very confusing to the novice aquarist. The reasoning behind these wildly varying opinions is that Asterinas sp. can indeed be both - either a benign addition or a coral killer, and it is currently not possible to definitively test or identify which type is in any one tank. At this point it should be said that there are many different species of Asterina sp. and of them all, only a few have ever been recorded to eat coral such as Acropora, zoanthids and other soft corals. The vast majority are opportunistic scavengers and/or herbivores that eat coralline or other types of algae. It has been estimated that of all the Asterina sp. varieties, only around 5% are coral eating species, which is good news for aquarists since they are so common in our systems. However, there are more than enough documented cases of corals being eaten by Asterina sp. to convince even the hardened skeptic that not all Asterina sp. are alike, and that some are, indeed, carnivorous
Personally I have always been a wait and see type of hobbyist. The typical hobbyist is so involved with their tanks and investments that they view the tank obsessively,
. If you see an Asterina on or around the base of corals routinely than that should be a cause for concern. If you notice Asterina wandering around with legs missing frequently then you're probably going to see an increase in numbers and it's time to get aggressive and manually remove them. See link below. http://www.reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/45-reefkeeping-101-
Debates over the nature of Asterina sp. stars have been waged for as long as these creatures have been observed in marine tanks. The sheer number that a tank can support is startling and can often fool the new aquarist into believing they simply must be eating their prized coral specimens. On the other hand, there are seasoned aquarists who have lived with Asterina sp. for decades with no noticeable problems. These contradictions can be very confusing to the novice aquarist. The reasoning behind these wildly varying opinions is that Asterinas sp. can indeed be both - either a benign addition or a coral killer, and it is currently not possible to definitively test or identify which type is in any one tank. At this point it should be said that there are many different species of Asterina sp. and of them all, only a few have ever been recorded to eat coral such as Acropora, zoanthids and other soft corals. The vast majority are opportunistic scavengers and/or herbivores that eat coralline or other types of algae. It has been estimated that of all the Asterina sp. varieties, only around 5% are coral eating species, which is good news for aquarists since they are so common in our systems. However, there are more than enough documented cases of corals being eaten by Asterina sp. to convince even the hardened skeptic that not all Asterina sp. are alike, and that some are, indeed, carnivorous
you mean me.
you mean me.
Enough about me.
@Tahoe61 great post. and yes, its the only reason I ask for pics. what kind is eating them. Renee and I have had similar convos and she'd love to add the info to her database.
LOL.
There used to be a great thread on RC created by an very experienced hobbyist and sps keeper. He noticed tissue missing on this prize sps, never even thought about Asterina. For whatever reason he removed the base and low and behold under the base were these lovely red/pink Asterina (the same color as the coral), clearly the culprits when viewed at night.
And there used to be an awesome thread with accurate ID's on 3reef. I will try to dig up both.
Leslie a long time marine biologist on another forum, communicated that even marine biologist have problems telling one Asterina from another there are so many types. Number of legs is not an indication of type, and coloration can be a subtle clue. Blues seem to like coralline, brown and greys film algae.....I will look for those threads.
excellent! Ive gone by coloration and pattern AND body, and as mentioned earlier, I have THE zoa eater in the tank. but never lost zoa. then again Ive always had a lot of food OR coralline.LOL.
There used to be a great thread on RC created by an very experienced hobbyist and sps keeper. He noticed tissue missing on this prize sps, never even thought about Asterina. For whatever reason he removed the base and low and behold under the base were these lovely red/pink Asterina (the same color as the coral), clearly the culprits when viewed at night.
And there used to be an awesome thread with accurate ID's on 3reef. I will try to dig up both.
Leslie a long time marine biologist on another forum, communicated that even marine biologist have problems telling one Asterina from another there are so many types. Number of legs is not an indication of type, and coloration can be a subtle clue. Blues seem to like coralline, brown and greys film algae.....I will look for those threads.
This starfish is capable of destroying large colonies of Acropora. If you notice that your Acropora colonies start to turn bright white at the base in a sharp edged pattern you may have an infestation of the starfish. It is important that you remove the coral and search under the base for these starfish. This damage looks different from bleaching because the damage is very localized and it increases each day.
http://www.garf.org/STAR/starfish.html
Having to go 10 yrs back to find the threads, still looking. I am sure Renee has seen them since she has been milling (assisting) around the same forums as I for as long or longer.
Some might find this of interests, BUT please to not go out and buy a Linkia for the purpose of eating Asterina. Not my images.
http://www.garf.org/STAR/starfish.html
Having to go 10 yrs back to find the threads, still looking. I am sure Renee has seen them since she has been milling (assisting) around the same forums as I for as long or longer.
Some might find this of interests, BUT please to not go out and buy a Linkia for the purpose of eating Asterina. Not my images.
His & Hers. 240 Reef
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I can 110% guarantee that this particular astrina are indeed prolific zoa eaters. I amassed a zoa collection worth several thousand dollars and once these were unknowingly introduced to my tank they quickly reproduced and ate every last polyp down to the last drop. I would spot a specific star on a specific polyp at lights out, enveloping the zoa and check again the next morning. The star and the zoa would be gone. I just completely tore down my 240 just to eradicate them. It was a costly and timely matter to say the least.
BrettMallette
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I dont mean to be that guy... but most of my cuc currently consists of asterina stars of ever color under the rainbow. And ive witnessed more corals eating asterinas then vice versa. Not saying some wont. But not all angelz munch corals nor do emeralda or hermits. But some do. So i wouldnt eradicate them from a system unless you visually see them devouring your lovely corals. A good majority of them are detrivores so a coral in decline is like ringing a dinner bell for all the lil buggers to come and feast.
But thats just my 2 cents
But thats just my 2 cents
