Starfish

[rattslik]

This starfish came on the live rock I got yesterday and I would like to know what species it is

 

[SMSREEF]

I don’t see it? Is it blending in somewhere in that pic?

 

[fragit]

Bottom right of that rock in foreground. Not an asterina so no ideas from me. I would move it to your fuge until an ID.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Oh a little red one! not the normal hitchhiking stars, not sure on ID though.

 

[SMSREEF]

I see him now. I don’t know, but circled it for others that may know. He’s pretty cool!

 

[...]

He looks like a red choc chip sea star, not sure what it is though

 

[fragit]

He looks like a red choc chip sea star, not sure what it is though

That was my first impulse too

 

[Smarkow]

Are those tunicates?

 

[TriggerFinger]

Maybe a red/orange fromia??

 

[...]

Maybe a red/orange fromia??

Surprised it would be alive without acclimation

 

[TriggerFinger]

Surprised it would be alive without acclimation

Not necessarily...I had a lot of surviving hitchhikers on my liverock shipment and the ammonia maxed out the test kit for a week. Urchins, a pistol shrimp, crabs, multiple stars, nudis, sponges and tunicates

 

[...]

Not necessarily...I had a lot of surviving hitchhikers on my liverock shipment and the ammonia maxed out the test kit for a week. Urchins, a pistol shrimp, crabs, multiple stars, nudis, sponges and tunicates

I mean the starfish, they have no brains and it is a possibility but a fromia or lincktia cannot survive without acclimation

 

[TriggerFinger]

I mean the starfish, they have no brains and it is a possibility but a fromia or lincktia cannot survive without acclimation

Ok cool bud. I don’t know what it is, was just guessing.

 

[rattslik]

Are those tunicates?

Where?

 

[bill120reef]

Possibly red asternia

Asterina Starfish Eating coral

Six days ago I noticed this coral had the dreaded brown jelly disease. I removed it, dipped it in Coral RX, rinsed and placed it in quarantine. After the dip, I noticed that in several spots it was losing flesh. I didn't blast it with flow but place it where it received an ample amount of water...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Fishbird]

Where did the live rock come from? Is it from a tank with animals from all over the world (in which case the starfish could be anything) or is it rock from a particular geographic region that has only been in systems with rocks from that region? If it's from some particular region that will help narrow down the species options.

 

[rattslik]

Where did the live rock come from? Is it from a tank with animals from all over the world (in which case the starfish could be anything) or is it rock from a particular geographic region that has only been in systems with rocks from that region? If it's from some particular region that will help narrow down the species options.

Australia

 

[AcroNem]

It looks more like Fromia than "Asterina" (now Aquilonastra) Not sure if it's reef safe but if it were me I would just monitor it.