New pest?

[WayneSg]

Can someone tell me what this is and if it is good or bad? Thanks

 

[Andresnyc93]

asterina starfish, if you have corals get it out

 

[WayneSg]

asterina starfish, if you have corals get it out

I do have corals. I never saw one of these before and this morning I saw 3. I have nothing new in my tank. Don’t know where it came from.

 

[Andresnyc93]

I do have corals. I never saw one of these before and this morning I saw 3. I have nothing new in my tank. Don’t know where it came from.

Sometimes they come in rock or take a while to come out from corals. They’re “harmless” if they are keep at bay but if they multiply which they most likely will, they’ll develop a taste for corals

 

[minus9]

Okay, let’s start by identifying them correctly. What we’ve been calling asterina for decades is completely incorrect. Although they belong to the family asterinidae, they are actually aquilonastra starfish and not asterina at all. Second, I’ve never seen them actually eat coral (maybe there are a few species that do?) so unless you’ve personally seen them actively eat coral, then I wouldn’t say that they are coral munchers. They (aquilonastra or nastra) eat algae and some have a fondness for coralline (which for some is desirable). They’re not pests, but their numbers can rise quickly if unchecked, which for some, can be an issue. There are about 15 or so species of nastra stars, so who knows how many we’ve actually encountered in our tanks? To me, I think of them as part of the CUC. True asterina starfish are rather large, think of chocolate chip star as a size reference.
So pass the word, nastra, not asterina.
Happy reefing!

 

[Gargoyle]

Okay, let’s start by identifying them correctly. What we’ve been calling asterina for decades is completely incorrect. Although they belong to the family asterinidae, they are actually aquilonastra starfish and not asterina at all. Second, I’ve never seen them actually eat coral (maybe there are a few species that do?) so unless you’ve personally seen them actively eat coral, then I wouldn’t say that they are coral munchers. They (aquilonastra or nastra) eat algae and some have a fondness for coralline (which for some is desirable). They’re not pests, but their numbers can rise quickly if unchecked, which for some, can be an issue. There are about 15 or so species of nastra stars, so who knows how many we’ve actually encountered in our tanks? To me, I think of them as part of the CUC. True asterina starfish are rather large, think of chocolate chip star as a size reference.
So pass the word, nastra, not asterina.
Happy reefing!

I didn't know anything about the incorrect naming but I wholeheartedly agree that they are a very useful member of clean up crew. If numbers get out of control then they're rather easy to catch and just throw in the sump.

 

[Andresnyc93]

Okay, let’s start by identifying them correctly. What we’ve been calling asterina for decades is completely incorrect. Although they belong to the family asterinidae, they are actually aquilonastra starfish and not asterina at all. Second, I’ve never seen them actually eat coral (maybe there are a few species that do?) so unless you’ve personally seen them actively eat coral, then I wouldn’t say that they are coral munchers. They (aquilonastra or nastra) eat algae and some have a fondness for coralline (which for some is desirable). They’re not pests, but their numbers can rise quickly if unchecked, which for some, can be an issue. There are about 15 or so species of nastra stars, so who knows how many we’ve actually encountered in our tanks? To me, I think of them as part of the CUC. True asterina starfish are rather large, think of chocolate chip star as a size reference.
So pass the word, nastra, not asterina.
Happy reefing!

I’ve seen plenty different kinds go after zoa’s and some softies. Just sharing what I’ve experienced and I’d rather have snails take care of the algae and not gamble it. Specially if you have some rare and expensive coral is just not worth the “what if”. Just my 2 cents.