Rogue Star Fish!
- Thread starter The_ReefB0y_FOX24
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EricR
2500 Club Member
Had an urchin cling onto the bottom of my ATO float and hold the float down (((so ATO thought water was low)))
Happened to see it so intervened.
*that's not exactly what you were asking but same ballpark
Happened to see it so intervened.
*that's not exactly what you were asking but same ballpark
OP
OP
The_ReefB0y_FOX24
Active Member
what do they look like?
dedragon
5000 Club Member
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like tiny tan to white little starfish, many consider them a pest if/when they reproduce in very high numbers. Usually a harlequin shrimp is needed when they get out of hand but doesnt always happen
EricR
2500 Club Member
Sample asterina star from zoa frag:
...zoomed:
They can split apart and reproduce so a lot of the ones I've seen have very irregular shapes (((like some short arms just growing out)))
MaxTremors
2500 Club Member
*Aquilonastra starfish. The common starfish that often hitchhike into our tanks are in the Aquilonastra genus.
OP
OP
The_ReefB0y_FOX24
Active Member
Looks more like the first photo.Sample asterina star from zoa frag:
...zoomed:
They can split apart and reproduce so a lot of the ones I've seen have very irregular shapes (((like some short arms just growing out)))
EricR
2500 Club Member
I won't even venture a guess as to how many different species of similar-looking, small, rogue sea stars might end up in a reef tank.
*I'm lazy so just lump anything that looks like what I've seen called "asterina" (general category) into the same bulk.
If you care, post a pic and someone here will have a better answer.
The one thing that you might want to think about is that, since you've seen one, that could mean there's potentially more.
Is that a concern? (Varying opinions on this)
They're cool looking and likely even beneficial except:
-- could multiply rapidly into almost plague proportions in some cases
-- some speculate that certain species will eat corals (or irritate them at the very least)
Matt Carden
Valuable Member
This is why I have 2 floats on separate circuits controlling my ATO.
\m/reefsnmetal\m/
Active Member
If I were to project my experience with the ones in my tank onto all of these stars I would say this. If you overfeed the tank long enough they multiply to the point they start eating zoas due to overwhelming competition for film algae and whatever other stuff CUC depend on. Minus the overfeeding they are harmless CUC and do not multiply so viciously. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/evil-aquilonastra-stars.779250/
EricR
2500 Club Member
That old link is an awesome write up,,, dude
OP
OP
The_ReefB0y_FOX24
Active Member
I am unable to get a pic because it is in a place where I can't get photos but I could send a drawing.
OP
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The_ReefB0y_FOX24
Active Member
I think I might want some help getting rid of it IF it multiplies. I love zoas. It might die on it's own because it is a tank that has only had fish for 6 days and it is in the heater chamber of my aio.
Asterina (typically predatory and reproduces sexually) is a genus in the Asterinidae family - the genus we get hitchhiking is Aquilonastra (typically harmless and reproduces by dropping legs that grow into new starfish, which why so many of them have uneven legs and why they're able to reproduce so efficiently in our tanks).
Some great info on whether or not they eat corals:
Some great info on whether or not they eat corals:
It's an Aquilonastra spp. starfish and is a great scavenger. I see them with anywhere from 4 to 12 legs. The whole discusion around them seems to me excellent examples of misidentification, mistaken behaviour and assumed causality based just on heresay without looking at the research. Asterina spp starfish are preditary but only reproduce sexually and are shortlived so while it's possible some might get into a tank even if it did happen it's not going to be around long. Aquilonastra are one of the uncommon species that reproduce fissiparous or by splitting so are easy to identify by the different sized legs regrown after splitting. They perform an important function not only feeding off algae films but also feeding off microbial films including those on corals (at least ones that don't sting). FYI the mucus coating on corals ages and corals have to periodicely shed it to renew it and maintian healthy microbial processes (Ref 1, Ref 2). If Aquilonastra are feeding on zoas or softies I'll argue they are either benign or even beneficial as they may be reducing the unhealthy older mucus which can be full of unhealthy microbes which the animal is trying to get rid of and are far more likely to be the actual problem.
Here's an example, this Toadstool is doing one of it's periodic sheddings. The Aquilonastra have been in this system for years but only climb onto the Toadstool when it's shedding. In the first picture you can see the old mucus film, Aquilonastra starfish and areas they have cleaned off. The second picture shows the Toadstool a week later.
