Do Aristea stars eat Zoa polips

[Oliver d]

My Zoas are being decimated I have lost 3 big colonies in the last 6 months.My parameters are all in check the only thing I have a plague of is aristea stars.Do they eat Zoas?

 

[BCORAL]

I have seen them eat zoas.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Yes they will! I had a similar event a few years ago, multiple colonies of Zoa’s melting before my eyes so one night I shined a light into my tank and they where all over them.. I didn’t realize there where so many in the tank because I would only occasionally see one during the day. Took me several months of hunting them down before I was able to get a handle on them, probably pulled 30-40 out of my 4 gallon Pico Reef ;Facepalm

 

[DSC reef]

Asterina starfish will definitely eat zoas. Some say you can distinguish the good from the bad by their "color" but there are to many factors to ever tell which ones will eat zoas. I've found dark ones, light ones, even reddish color ones devouring colonies. Some start at the stalk while bigger ones will engulf the entire zoa. They multiply fast.

 

[Katrina71]

I agree. It's all about the need to feed.

 

[Katrina71]

I personally let my glass get dirty to feed them and make them easier to thin the herd.

 

[Retro Reefer]

I personally let my glass get dirty to feed them and make them easier to thin the herd.

great minds think alike that’s exactly how I did it, kept a pair of tweezers next to tank and would pluck them out whenever I saw one.. lol

 

[DSC reef]

I personally let my glass get dirty to feed them and make them easier to thin the herd.

@Lovemyreef2015 was a ninja with tweezers

 

[Katrina71]

@Lovemyreef2015 was a ninja with tweezers

She probably did it with a baby on her hip too!

 

[aabjones888]

Get a harlequin shrimp, there fun to watch eat the starfish, especially after you have witnessed them eating your zoas.

 

[Oliver d]

Where I am harlequin shrimps are proplem to get hold of.So I need to pick them of one by one.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

She probably did it with a baby on her hip too!

You know it! The hardest part was when I had a baby bump though. Had to come at them sideways

 

[Katrina71]

I pick them out by hand. I bit of fingernail under them and Ta-Da!

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

@Lovemyreef2015 was a ninja with tweezers

 

[DSC reef]

Now I wanna play ninja gaiden 2....