Asterina?

[Naja]

Hey guys!

Today I found something that looks like a starfish on one of my rocks. I thought it couldn't be, as I didnt use live rock (I used pukani) and I only have 3 corals (torch, zoa, Lordhowensis) and getting a 4th today.
And it's small, but looking closer, sure enough! Now, this is my first reef tank, and it's just under 4 months old. Over the last couple months or so I've been really enjoying watching different things happen in the tank, my two cleaner shrimp is constantly carrying eggs, and getting new eggs the day after they release the larvae, the Nassarius snails are laying eggs and my only fish atm, a small Ocellaris pair is dancing and getting along. I also have a Tuxedo Urchin that is carrying shrimp molt and stuff around. My glass and sump is getting a few of those Spirorbids and I have a small snail I have no idea what is eating algae from the back glass around my overflow. And now I seem to have a starfish. As I am new, and have so many things to learn, my knowledge of starfish is limited, but I know some of them are bad for your corals, and some are more reef safe.

My guess is that this is an Asterina star, but it's pink, and I want to be sure. It's very small, maybe 0.6cm ish from one leg to another. It seems to also have fragmentated itself, as it only has 3 legs and seems to have a couple stumps. It makes me a little concerned, since my torch haven't been fully extended for a few weeks (but shows no signs of damage at all) and I've been wondering why, but at the same time, it's fascinating.

What do you think, is it an Asterina star, something else? What should I do with it? Could it be one of the "reef safe" ones, or should I remove it to be sure?

Thanks! =)

 

[alton]

Asterina and remove it. Not always bad but in some cases can take over a tank.

 

[DSC reef]

Agree, I'd remove it.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Yes it's an Asterina, some eat coral some don't I'd just remove it and not have to bother.

 

[Naja]

Ah, I'll remove it as soon as it comes out of the little crevice it managed to slip into. Thanks =)

 

[erky]

yeah, i am having an issue with those now and munching on my sps....

 

[Oldsalt01]

I've had them in my 14g BC since August. Never bothered a thing and did a fair job on algae. Then, last weekend while doing a water change I found the largest draped over one of my zoa polyps, happily munching on tentacles. Gently removed it and about 6 others and remain vigilant. Not welcome anymore.

 

[Maritimer]

Pink's kind of an unusual color!

Asterinas get about as big as your pinky-nail, then rip themselves in half - or even more pieces than that. Each piece that contains one arm and part of the central disk can become a new star, by growing out those "nubs" that you noted.

It probably came in attached to one of your frags. I've also gotten micro-brittle stars that way, and Stomatella snails. (And Bryopsis, but let us not discuss that, shall we?)

~Bruce

 

[Naja]

Pink's kind of an unusual color!

Asterinas get about as big as your pinky-nail, then rip themselves in half - or even more pieces than that. Each piece that contains one arm and part of the central disk can become a new star, by growing out those "nubs" that you noted.

It probably came in attached to one of your frags. I've also gotten micro-brittle stars that way, and Stomatella snails. (And Bryopsis, but let us not discuss that, shall we?)

~Bruce

It seems so, as however much I research these stars, I only find info about white ones (which seem to be the good guys), and dark ones (who seem to often be the bad guys), but have yet to find anything on pink ones. I find it really fascinating. I did not manage to remove it, and looked for it after the lights were out, and then there were three of them. They are all living in one of my rocks, in the same area my clowns live and where I feed. It's just strange that it's 2 months since I added my last coral, and I only see them now. But at the same time I too have a Stomatella snail munching on algae like there's no tomorrow around my overflow.
I'm really torn about it, and as this article says, the info out there is really confusing me about what to do about it. I don't want stars that can be bad for my corals, and I dont want pest numbers of stars, but I don't mind a few if they are the good guys type. They haven't been in a spot where I can easily remove them, but when they are I'm probably going to remove them to be sure (although a part of me want to closely observe them for a little while first), and since they've all split, there are more somewhere in there.

 

[Oldsalt01]

When I find them now I try to suck 'em off the rock with my baster. My zoa is recovering from the assault, but from here on out Asterina are on my hit list. The one that attacked my zoa polyp was white with black makings on it's arm crests, as are most of them, although I have found a couple that are pink. Regardless of creed, color, or religion, they are gone when I see them.

 

[Vaughn17]

They can definitely over populate given enough food.

 

[Som1else]

I had an infestation of these, but over time they all died out. I havent seen one in months now. If it gets really bad you could always get a harlequin shrimp that will eat hundreds of them in short order.

 

[Oldsalt01]

I had an infestation of these, but over time they all died out. I havent seen one in months now. If it gets really bad you could always get a harlequin shrimp that will eat hundreds of them in short order.

After the disaster of the Peppermint's eating 4 new Acans heads, ALL shrimp are banned from my system. I'd rather snuff them when I see them.

 

[Som1else]

Peppermint shrimp can be pretty aggressive in some cases.

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I'm torn. I've never seen a pink one before, and would be really curious... I actually buy (or are given them) by reefing friends -purposely- every time I set up a tank. As long as they are NOT the coral munching variety, they can be valuable little tank cleaners. They do a decent job of getting into places that even my tiny dwarf ceriths from reef cleaners can't get into.

That being said, I have never seen them in pink... so I am on the fence. If you even have a couple of valuable SPSs I might keep a VERY close watch and minimum -and would be tempted to just remove them from the start.

 

[Jacobscorals]

Asterina any color size shape=overpopulation and coral damage.in this case curiosity killed the coral not the kittyI liked a nearby pet store and got along good with the manager and respected his knowledge and practices and one day me and my 13 year old son went there and he said broken up laughing histerically come here and look in this tank and read the marker on the tank and it was a tank full of Asterina and said baby starfish 3 for 5 dollars great cleaners and we both laughed quit hard together and they came to help and we finally stopped and I pointed at the tank and said someone is going to love this hobby and spend a lot of time and money and get screwed from the get go and he said why and I said I'm not having my 13 year old explain it to you and haven't been back