Starfish-Keep or Get Rid of
- Thread starter Coral Newbie
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killr66tb
Active Member
I have these little suckers to, one time I bought that little shrimp that eats them and he did a great job but when he runs out he dies so I gave him to a friend who had the same problem. I cant remember the name of the shrimp and now those little guys are back.
jrwoltman
Active Member
Asterina starfish eat corraline, so it is up to you. I have had them in both of my tanks and don't mind them at all. Some people claim that some species of asterina get a taste for hard corals, but I have never experienced that. @killr66tb Harlequin shrimp love to eat them.
OP
OP
Coral Newbie
Active Member
Should I hand pick them or Harlequin shrimp?
JaimeAdams
2500 Club Member
You probably have too many to hand pick them out. If you can see a few then there are probably more that you cannot see.
For years I thought that they were harmless until I caught one eating a mushroom. I have also caught them eating zoas/palys. There are around 40 species in the genus that used to be Asterina, it is now Aquilonastra some are harmless some eat coral. I personally would remove them.
For years I thought that they were harmless until I caught one eating a mushroom. I have also caught them eating zoas/palys. There are around 40 species in the genus that used to be Asterina, it is now Aquilonastra some are harmless some eat coral. I personally would remove them.
OP
OP
Coral Newbie
Active Member
I think i'm going to go with a Harlequin shrimp to get rid of them. Question can you purchase additional Asterina star fish for them to eat online somewhere?
Rip Van Winkle
Active Member
If you have a place for a fuge in your sump, you could let the starfish populate there and then spread to your display tank. That way, you could maintain a population of them and always have a food source for your Harlequin Shrimp. I'm assuming that's why you're asking about purchasing them.
Can I suggest just watching the starfish for some time? If you see them someplace that they shouldn't be, then yeah you might take steps to get rid of them but if they aren't bothering anything then just leave them. Mine are harmless and are only roaming on the substrate or the glass but they are a lighter beige than the one you have in your pic. So maybe they are a different sp.?
If they do end up being harmful and something that you'd want to remove, I'm not sure maintaining a population just to prevent your Harlequin Shrimp from staring is the best way to go? I probably wouldn't do that.
Can I suggest just watching the starfish for some time? If you see them someplace that they shouldn't be, then yeah you might take steps to get rid of them but if they aren't bothering anything then just leave them. Mine are harmless and are only roaming on the substrate or the glass but they are a lighter beige than the one you have in your pic. So maybe they are a different sp.?
If they do end up being harmful and something that you'd want to remove, I'm not sure maintaining a population just to prevent your Harlequin Shrimp from staring is the best way to go? I probably wouldn't do that.
