Problem starfish

Iamonlyme

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Not sure where to post but how do I rid my tank of these they don't seem to be bothering any corals but when lights come on my live rock is covered with these after lights are on they go into hiding
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1449419725.368038.jpg
ImageUploadedByREEF2REEF1449419732.225091.jpg
 
Nothing wrong with them, Asterina Starfish.
But:
Harlequin Shrimp will eat them
 
Thanks I don't believe I can use a harlequin shrimp my zebra eel would probably eat it lol any other ideas
 
Manual removal would be the only other option. Sounds like normal asterina starfish which are eating algae
 
Just get yourself some vinyl tubing and siphon them out one by one. Also, you might want to do a little more research on them as well. Not only can the population explode under the right conditions, but there's a lot of people out there who have had nothing but problems with these things & their corals. I'm one of them... Here's a few links just to get you started. GL.

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/45-reefkeeping-101-

http://www.coralpedia.com/index.php?module=Gallery2&g2_itemId=1426

http://chucksaddiction.thefishestate.net (Info Links > Hitchhikers > Starfish)

This isn't my picture btw, but I'm sure you can draw your own conclusion as to what's going on here.

 
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You can always make a spear to catch them. I straightened a fish hook and attached it to some rigid tubing so I could spear them and put them in my fuge where my bongo shrimp lived, that way you don't need to get your hands wet.
 
Although there are some predatory astrina most of them are not. Yes they will move in on a coral that's in poor health and make a meal of it. I have more than plenty in my tanks and notice they're the first thing to move in once something starts to die. As far as attacking healthy corals I have not witnessed that at all.
 
I just grab them one by one as they climb up the glass. As stated most aren't harmful but unfortunately they multiply like mad. If you can see 20, you have 200 in your tank lol.
 
I have not seen any bother my corals nor do I have any corals receding I do have two that are healing and one hammer that I thought was toast that had one head now has sprouted lol 6 new ones so I think I will just grab off the glass and leave the rest and not stress it today is maintenance day anyways thanks everyone :)
 
I have watched Asterina mow down my healthy zoanthids. I have an acquaintance that discovered a pink variety eating his prized sps at night.

Since that are hundreds of different types with different feeding strategies, and some becoming opportunistic eaters it's extremely difficult to make generalizations. If you see them grazing on the glass on film algae, and you see them reproducing asexually by leaving legs behind to regenerate than yes you likely have a variety that is an algae eater, but has the potential to become extremely invasive.

If I see a variety hanging around a certain coral type then I intervene.

Asterina are much like Flatworms in that there are so many types you really have to deal with them on a case by case bases, and what works for you.
 
I just bought a ocean revive t227 led for my 30 gallon long tank and it's 18 inches deep and I got a couple of soft corals and a couple of anemones and 1 is a rose anemone and I was wondering what I should set the intensity at for the corals and anemones and I had a led light before this light but it was only a strip light that was 14 watts cause I just bought the corals so I had to get a better light so I got this light but I really don't know what to set the intensity up to so hopefully someone can help me with this so I don't kill anything
 
I have watched Asterina mow down my healthy zoanthids. I have an acquaintance that discovered a pink variety eating his prized sps at night.

Since that are hundreds of different types with different feeding strategies, and some becoming opportunistic eaters it's extremely difficult to make generalizations. If you see them grazing on the glass on film algae, and you see them reproducing asexually by leaving legs behind to regenerate than yes you likely have a variety that is an algae eater, but has the potential to become extremely invasive.

If I see a variety hanging around a certain coral type then I intervene.

Asterina are much like Flatworms in that there are so many types you really have to deal with them on a case by case bases, and what works for you.
Very well said
 
I just bought a ocean revive t227 led for my 30 gallon long tank and it's 18 inches deep and I got a couple of soft corals and a couple of anemones and 1 is a rose anemone and I was wondering what I should set the intensity at for the corals and anemones and I had a led light before this light but it was only a strip light that was 14 watts cause I just bought the corals so I had to get a better light so I got this light but I really don't know what to set the intensity up to so hopefully someone can help me with this so I don't kill anything
I recommend that you start a new thread in the newbie section and also read as much as you can there :) this forum is great when it comes to help wish I could help more but I am still a newbie myself
 

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