Please Id starfish

[Mr marine]

Can anyone ID The starfish please I have about 30 in my tank

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Asterina stars. They reproduce like crazy. I suck up 20 or 30 every water change. Harmless.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Agree, Asterina, but harmless will depend on the variety you have. First off, I've had white/light gray ones and never had an issue. Others have reported that dark/black-brown ones are known to eat corals. Just the messenger here!

 

[fishface NJ]

Yes they can be harmless. Some report they eat their zoa. I would remove it if I see it

 

[attiland]

+ 1 for Asterina stars

 

[Mr marine]

Agree, Asterina, but harmless will depend on the variety you have. First off, I've had white/light gray ones and never had an issue. Others have reported that dark/black-brown ones are known to eat corals. Just the messenger here!

Hi thanks for your reply also have trouble keeping lps coral seem to last for around 4 to 6 months but love them so keep buying them would I carbon reactor help ?

 

[attiland]

Hi thanks for your reply also have trouble keeping lps coral seem to last for around 4 to 6 months but love them so keep buying them would I carbon reactor help ?

You have to be more specific with that question. Without that only generic answer can be given about water parameters and lighting.

 

[Mr marine]

You have to be more specific with that question. Without that only generic answer can be given about water parameters and lighting.

You have to be more specific with that question. Without that only generic answer can be given about water parameters and lighting.

Hi I have x2 hydro 26HD lights and water parameters are all good 450ltrs tank

thanks

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Murder it. The ones with a lot of color on their back are a large zoa colony in my first tank. They reproduce fast as well. Took me a year to completely irradicate them

 

[vetteguy53081]

These are NOT harmless and will multiply like mice. I had two take down a colony of bam bam zoas in 4 weeks.

 

[FishyDP]

Manually remove all of them. Scrape off and siphon/net ect. If you can see 30 of them you prob have alot more in your rocks. IME not harmless (white ones), love to munch on zoas. When your lights go out you will likely see alot more of them on your glass.

In regards to lps, list your water parameters, filtration, lighting, flow and water source and you will get alot of good advice here.

 

[X-37B]

Get them out as they can multiply faster than you think.
I used to remove 30 a dqy. But got tired of it. Yesterday I bought a pair of Harlequin shrimp. The pic I just snapped before lights on.
I scrape them down to the bottom every morning and night.
They know the shrimps are their so they climb the glass.
It will take some time for the shrimp to consume all of them.
I let them get out of control and the Harlequin shrimp is the natural way.
It will take months for them to thin out since I must have let it get to 500 plus.
If you zoom in on the back wall of the second pic you can see them everywhere.

 

[MaxTremors]

‘Asterina’ starfish. Which aren’t actually in the Asterina genus, they’re actually in Aquilonastra. People have been calling them ‘asterinas’ forever, but DNA analysis has shown that they are not Asterina. True Asterinas are much bigger, the smallest being quarter to half dollar size.

Edit: I know a lot of people claim they eat corals, there is still no definitive evidence of this. It’s always anecdotal accounts where other causes haven’t been ruled out. I know people will reply that they personally have experienced them eating their corals, but I am still skeptical, as common as they are it seems like it should be pretty easy to document them eating corals. I’ve kept reefs for over 20 years, had probably 4-5 different species of them, and never had them eat corals. I’m not saying it’s not possible, just that I’m skeptical and would need to see real evidence.