How to get rid of Asterina Starfish

[Lovemyreef2015]

I think his point is most species in the genus Asterina aren't reef starfish. They're coldwater species in the Atlantic, and significantly larger than the little starfish we find in our tanks (though small for starfish). In contrast Aquilonastra tend to be very small and have a lot of reef species.

Maybe the genus but like I said most people when discussing asterina starfish are talking about the family of Asterinidae. There are 27 genus in that family which means 100s of species. And Aquilonastra is not the only genus with starfish that can be found in our aquariums or that reproduce by splitting. Starfish in the family Astrinidae are impossible to ID without a microscope. You cannot ID a species by a picture.

 

[DSC reef]

I think his point is most species in the genus Asterina aren't reef starfish. They're coldwater species in the Atlantic, and significantly larger than the little starfish we find in our tanks (though small for starfish). In contrast Aquilonastra tend to be very small and have a lot of reef species.

I didn't get that at all from his previous post. I'm not trying to argue so don't take my questioning wrong, this actually interests me. Most of us aren't biologists and can't tell one from another and he even suggested that aquilanostra are algae eaters so how does one explain which starfish is eating corals? That's been my whole point here. It's obvious members including myself have had these starfish obliterate colonies of zoas so I always use caution when I see them and inform others to do the same. I don't assume every asterina/aquilanostra are coral eaters but it's true that some are.

 

[Brian1f1]

Absolutely devasting my zoas suddenly... Manually removed about 200 so far..

 

[samnaz]

Here’s an idea...

Asterina Magnetic Scooper | Printed3D.Parts

This is an Asterina Magnetic Scooper. It is designed to work like a glass cleaner but for Asterina starfish! Just slide it around and it will scoop all the stars in the container. Then simply let dry, slide the cap open and discard the contents. It has a slide-removable top and a chamfered edge to

printed3d.parts