Asterina Starfish?

[Steve Wallace]

Hey everyone. I just noticed these guys on my rocks. So far, I have counted about 10-15 of them. I saw one a few weeks ago, but didn't start looking for more until today, when someone told me that this could be a Asterina Starfish and that I need to worry.

Please let me know if that's what this is and if I do in fact need to worry.

Thank you

 

[KJ]

Yes.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/

 

[Crabs McJones]

Yup, asterina star. Nothing to worry about

 

[ahiggins]

You’ll find conflicting reports of yes, kill it with fire and no, they’re amazing.

Personally I’ve seen them munching on my weakened zoas before. I pulled them all out (quite a task) and the frag recovered. I say kill it with fire

 

[stanleo]

As long as you have algae in the tank for them to eat they shouldn't mess with corals. I think I read somewhere that there is a species that likes corals so I would watch to see if they eat the corals but beyond that I wouldn't worry.

But if you are worried just pluck out as many as you can when you see them.

 

[Westoncase]

Zoas worst nightmare

 

[DSC reef]

Definitely something to worry about. Plenty of members on here that have proven they can be an issue with eating coral, I'm one of them. The problem is no one here, no matter who they are, can tell you the good from the bad ones. Keep it at your own risk.

 

[X-37B]

Mine eat coralline. If white patches show up on your live rock its from the stars. The white spots are from them. They multiply fast. Only thing that eradicates them is a harlaquin shrimp.
But once gone they will starve so they need to be removed. They will eat brittle stars and regular stars too.

 

[somethinq else]

I agree with the other members. Some people say they dont bother anything some people say they bother, eat, and irritate zoas. I say it's a pest. If not controlled, they will quickly take over your tank and 2 or 3 can become a dozen over night and then suddenly 50. Get your LFS to order you a harlequin shrimp. He is the cutest little guy. Looks like a fluffy cloud with polka dots. They stay small. Smaller than a dime. And that little sucker will clean your tank up eating dozens a day. They start by eating the tentacles up to the body consuming the entire asterina but they are the most effective thing at removing asterina. Even more effective than removing them with your finger because they see the babies you dont see. Good luck and have fun with that harlequin.

 

[Katrina71]

I actually keep some to control coralline. I do thin the herd with manual removal.

 

[Nanoreefer4ever]

My harlequin shrimp love them. They can sense the shrimp around and crawl up on the glass, so the population will be there to come.

 

[Murica]

Even if you don’t have the coral eating ones, personally I’d take them out. I thought they were neat when i first saw them in my tank, couple weeks later i had hundred. They multiplied like crazy.

 

[Paul B]

I like them and have so many that I no longer look up to the sky to see stars. I just look at my tank.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Some of them will most definitely eat zoanthids, don’t ask me how I know

 

[madweazl]

I've never had them bother a coral but I dont keep zoas either. I tend to suck some of them out during water changes but otherise pay little attention to them. Newer tanks often get an explosion of them and then they'll fade away on their own fairly quickly.

 

[Squidward]

Pluck them out with a tweezer and eradicate them asap!

 

[eschaton]

Some eat coral, some are harmless algae eaters, and they look identical. You have to observe their behavior in the tank to see which is which.

I'd err on the side of leaving them in until proven guilty personally. When they don't bother coral they're one of the most wonderful elements of tank fauna - a member of the clean up crew which reproduces in our tank.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Personally I like them and leave them be, but I don't have any zoas so that may be the difference.
One thing I have to mention is that if you get a harlequin shrimp be aware that the only thing they eat is starfish. Once it has eaten all of the asterina stars you will need to start buying chocolate chip stars or something similar to feed it.

 

[Duffer]

My harlequin shrimp love them. They can sense the shrimp around and crawl up on the glass, so the population will be there to come.

Happen to me and it was amazing. Had them and could not get all them. Put a Harlequin shrimp in my tank and within 30 minutes they all were flocking to the glass looking for a escape route...lol..

 

[Ken logan]

I must be one of the luck ones. Have hundreds of them in my tank with Rasta bob marleys wwc blues zoas. Don’t see any stars eating on them. Tank been established for 5 years. Go with your gut feeling on them.