New member with asterina star

[apdoc]

Hello, I’m new to the salt water hobby and have loved all of it so far. I have a fluval evo 13.5 fully cycled now. Fish are happy and rock is starting to acquire Coraline. I have plenty of pineapples around but just noticed a starfish that has quickly moved to a pineapple tonight. I just bought a lot of zoas to start working into corals and I’m concerned this star may eat the coral. I have intentions of removing it tomorrow due to the afixiation on the pineapple. I don’t want to remove something that may potentially help my tank. Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Copingwithpods]

Hard to tell but looks like a common asterina, some people like them (including me) some people hate them. The coral eating type are extremely rare so it's really up to you if you want to keep them or not.

 

[Dolelo96]

I take mine out. They don’t eat my zoas, but they definitely don’t make them happy

 

[BCSreef]

I have thousands and they don't bother anything. They do eat algae on my glass.

 

[Katrina71]

For me, they are a double edge sword.

 

[ScottR]

I don’t mind asterinas as long as they’re kept in check. Large numbers of anything scares me. Asterinas may turn to zoas when their numbers are high. However, I wouldn’t sweat pineapple sponges. They’ll ditch your tank after awhile, never to be seen again. No evidence of asterinas eating them.

 

[Mr Fishface]

I had tons of these starfish in my old tank. Never bothered any corals I ever had.

 

[X-37B]

They multiply very fast.
They can become a species only tank quickly lol.
I started removing them in my 120 a couple months ago. At least 200+. Yesterday after seeing only a few during the week I pulled out 20+.
Best to get them before the light come on early in the morning.
Again they will take over if you let them.

 

[badluckman]

They multiply very fast.
They can become a species only tank quickly lol.
I started removing them in my 120 a couple months ago. At least 200+. Yesterday after seeing only a few during the week I pulled out 20+.
Best to get them before the light come on early in the morning.
Again they will take over if you let them.

Won't a Harlequin shrimp end the Asterina rebellion if needed?

Never had one myself but a LFS here have them for rent if people want to rid themselves of asterina.

 

[CuzzA]

Like anything, it will grow and multiply if it has a food source. Tons of algae = tons of asterina. I've had one asterina in my new reef since I set it up in October. I still just have one.

Likely what happens for new reefers is their inexperience let's the algae get out of control in their young tanks, the stars reproduce to the available food source, the new reefer finally gets the algae under control and then the stars are starving and resort to eating zoas.

 

[X-37B]

Like anything, it will grow and multiply if it has a food source. Tons of algae = tons of asterina. I've had one asterina in my new reef since I set it up in October. I still just have one.

Likely what happens for new reefers is their inexperience let's the algae get out of control in their young tanks, the stars reproduce to the available food source, the new reefer finally gets the algae under control and then the stars are starving and resort to eating zoas.

Mine came in on live rock and only eat coralline in my tank.
I dont have much hair algae but have lots of coralline.
Harlequin shrimp will eat them but then will starve when gone.
The white spots are where the asterinas jave ate the coralline.
I have seen a peppermint shrimp eating one in my tank although thats not the norm for them.

 

[will25u]

Mine have proliferated and moved onto munching on my Zoas. I pick them out nightly.