Asterina?

[candelloro]

should I really get rid of this? I love how they look but I’ve heard they attack corals actively. Came on a mushroom frag I bought today

 

[ScottR]

should I really get rid of this? I love how they look but I’ve heard they attack corals actively. Came on a mushroom frag I bought today

Where there’s one, there are 100. I pluck them out if they’re easy to get ahold of. I know they look cool at first but over time, they multiply like crazy. I can’t say I’ve seen any attack my corals however.

 

[saltyhog]

They've never given me any problem. Their numbers vary with available food. I've had very few in my tank and at other times a lot and couldn't see any difference in how my corals did. Coolest thing ever was when my linckia starfish started eating them.

 

[ScottR]

They've never given me any problem. Their numbers vary with available food. I've had very few in my tank and at other times a lot and couldn't see any difference in how my corals did. Coolest thing ever was when my linckia starfish started eating them.

Lol. That’s hilarious.

 

[Jason Truong]

take it out

 

[andrewkw]

I did some extensive posting about them a few months back. Most don’t eat coral, some do. It’s inconcl if it’s species or individual dependant but you can’t tell by looking at them. Small polyp zoanthids are most vulnerable. Larger palys are largely ignored.

If you have tiny frags they could be at risk, larger colonies are safer.

 

[Jet915]

I have them and they started eating my zoas (of course only the expensive ones). So I got a harlequin shrimp.

 

[Katrina71]

Look, I'll tell you a slightly embarrassing story...the first one I had, I took it back to the LFS and they laughed hysterically at me. They explained they are the reef equivalent to ants in your house. I have never had an issue with them, but as already mentioned...they could be.

 

[Phil D.]

If they are on the glass all the time, they are the good algae eating kind. If you see them on around corals..." Danger Will Robinson"!!

 

[candelloro]

If they are on the glass all the time, they are the good algae eating kind. If you see them on around corals..." Danger Will Robinson"!!

They came with my corals but have since never touched them since I put them into the tank. I see one on the glass right now and the other two that I know of are eating brown algae off my rocks

 

[Crustaceon]

Remove it unless you enjoy the thought of your coral being eaten as it may not be an specific asterina species that does it, not to mention how literally hundreds of them will look when they cover your rockwork and start eating coralline algae... I took months to physically eradicate them from my system. They are a plague. Kill them with fire.

 

[ahiggins]

I did some extensive posting about them a few months back. Most don’t eat coral, some do. It’s inconcl if it’s species or individual dependant but you can’t tell by looking at them. Small polyp zoanthids are most vulnerable. Larger palys are largely ignored.

If you have tiny frags they could be at risk, larger colonies are safer.

That’s mostly what I’ve experienced as well. I’ve seen them crawl over bam bams and just chill on the polyps but I’ve never seen them mess with the larger polyps. I always take them out.

 

[ahiggins]

Side note, if you don’t have polyped (spelling??) things like zoa/paly, I wouldn’t think they would be an issue

 

[andrewkw]

Side note, if you don’t have polyped (spelling??) things like zoa/paly, I wouldn’t think they would be an issue

They also do a lot of good like eating micro algae and keeping coraline algae in check and they are free.
I'm still battling them and they are still eating some of my zoas but I have thinned my population by 1000s

Here is my old thread with lots of photos and insight both from me and other people :

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...h-are-really-eating-my-zoas-and-palys.555362/