Astrenia Stars!!! Graaa

[flricordia]

+1 on Harlequins. My 75 was FULL of stars. At any time you could easily find 30-50 on the glass and rock. Now I don't see any. I started a "pay it forward" thing down here and so far it cleaned up mine, a buddy's 150, and now in a 210. When it's done in there, he'll send it on to someone else who needs it.

Do you do that with cash? I could use about $500 and when I am done I will forward what is left to someone else.

 

[GrouperGenius]

Do you do that with cash? I could use about $500 and when I am done I will forward what is left to someone else.

$500....is that all?? Your a cheap date.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

I sat perched near my tank at lights out in preperation. if it had more than 2 legs and went near the zoas... it died...



nothing gets passed... ninja stance.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

DIE DIE

 

[Saltysteele]

yep, those'd be the ones! like a bluish tinted pearly color, blotched with other colors.

kill the starfish, kill the starfish, kill the starfish!! (sung in elmer fudd voice, wearing a viking helmet)

 

[Sr5_Reef]

Nooo!! i have had 100's of asterinas in my tank the past 6-7 months. I have only noticed one frag not doing well. I dont know if its because i switched from 150 watt to 250 or if the Asterinas are bothering them. I have ones with the same sized legs and some different. Brown and white. EEEk im getting some harlequins just to be safe. I always see them crawling on the polyps..... but never thought they bothered them!

 

[flricordia]

supposedly they can turn and begin eating corals. Probably oportunistic. I have had them before too without anything being bothered but then all of a sudden started eating zoas. Maybe not enough for them to eat as the tank matures and excess food particles are removed by filtration, skimming, bacteria. Who knows for sure?

 

[Sr5_Reef]

Im not sure, but my friend bought some harlquins and they ate all his and im going to get them from him( hopefully ) I would just pass them on after im done, but I know they bother them for sure, because when they are attached to the polyp they are always closed. And i hate seeing them all over my glass
Will keep this updated if i notice any differences after getting the harlequins

 

[Hypertek99]

They def eat zoas i've seen it first hand

 

[Len]

Found this at garf:
"The starfish is Asterina anomala and is common on many reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
This fissiparous starfish is carnivorous on sessile animals including corals.
It usually occurs under rocks on reef flats. The mottled coloration makes the starfish very cryptic: you must be alert to find it under rocks."

So the color varies but all seem to be asymmetrical and they can reproduce by splitting.