Vermatids and little gray starfish

[BestMomEver]

I have both. Some don’t mind the starfish but I’ve seen them munching on my coral. I thought I got them all but I looked with a flashlight the other night and realized I hadn’t come vaguely close to getting them all. Figures.

I read somewhere the other day that harlequin shrimp like starfish and will feast on the little ones I have. I also read where bumblebee snails eat vermatids. I’ve had a few bumblebee snails in the past so I can get more.

Do any of you have experience with these eradication methods? Tell me about harlequin shrimp. I’ve never had one.

Thanks.

 

[Duffer]

Bought a harlequin shrimp a few weeks ago. They only eat starfish in which i have a outbreak in my tank. I also thought i could manage them and gave up. The harlequin shrimp will only eat starfish, nothing else. They are quite unique and is a great addition to my tank. He has done a number on my situation with the starfish so i am going to feed him after with CC starfish. It was amazing, they hunt by smell and a few hrs in my tank the starfish were all over my glass trying to escape.

 

[Xandernfs]

Bumble Bee snails do eat vermited snails, I have some in my tank and they take care of some of the vermited, but not all. The best way I have found to get rid of them is manual removal. I have a 24" tweezers/forceps to pull the stars out. I also use the tweezers/forceps to knock the vermited 'stalks' off, fingers work well too. Usually I have a 'spotter' tell me where to find the snails. This is the best method I have found to be successful.

 

[Neo Jeo]

I also dont like vermatids. I have them but they seem to be going away slowly.

I tried:
Bummble Bee Snails
Coral Snow
Yellow Corris Wrass
5w blue lazier - burn them
Manual removal
Super Glue the tips
feed less

I think my lazier is working but it can be the combo of the other things.

 

[BantyRooster97]

Which star fish are eating your corals? I have little grey ones on my glass all the time, if I don't clean it.

 

[acro-ed]

I have both and never have given me any problems. I have a handful of bumblebee snails and I still have vermatids. My understanding is that there are many different kinds of those tiny starfish and some are harmless and some are problematic. I imagine there are probably different types of vermatid snails also. The harlequins might eat the starfish but I've never tried. Are you sure the starfish are actually eating your coral, or just walking near/over them?

 

[BestMomEver]

I have both and never have given me any problems. I have a handful of bumblebee snails and I still have vermatids. My understanding is that there are many different kinds of those tiny starfish and some are harmless and some are problematic. I imagine there are probably different types of vermatid snails also. The harlequins might eat the starfish but I've never tried. Are you sure the starfish are actually eating your coral, or just walking near/over them?

I’ve seen one make a track up the stalk of a large acro frag... Mowed it clean. I haven’t seen evidence that these others are doing it so I don’t know if that one was a different species or just a rogue starfish. Now, I don’t trust any of them.

 

[BestMomEver]

Which star fish are eating your corals? I have little grey ones on my glass all the time, if I don't clean it.

They’re just little grey ones. I think they reproduce by breaking off an arm and forming a new star from that. But when I shined my light into the tank, I saw lots of them

 

[Thor2j]

Harlequins will devour the starfish. I had probably 8-10 on my glass at night. Next day after I put halepuin in the tank there were 100+ on the glass running for their lives.

I feed the harlequin sand sifting starfish not chocolate chip. Too many stories of the cc eating softies. Feed once a month.

 

[BestMomEver]

I also dont like vermatids. I have them but they seem to be going away slowly.

I tried:
Bummble Bee Snails
Coral Snow
Yellow Corris Wrass
5w blue lazier - burn them
Manual removal
Super Glue the tips
feed less

I think my lazier is working but it can be the combo of the other things.

Gee whiz! A laser? Where did you get that?

 

[BestMomEver]

Harlequins will devour the starfish. I had probably 8-10 on my glass at night. Next day after I put halepuin in the tank there were 100+ on the glass running for their lives.

I feed the harlequin sand sifting starfish not chocolate chip. Too many stories of the cc eating softies. Feed once a month.

How many can I put in a 60 cube? Will he get along with my cleaner shrimp?

 

[Waters]

They’re just little grey ones. I think they reproduce by breaking off an arm and forming a new star from that. But when I shined my light into the tank, I saw lots of them

Are you sure they were eating your coral? They do tend to crawl over everything, eating algae and detritus. I consider them a valuable member of my CUC in my semi-predator reef. I pull out any on the glass during water changes to keep them in check.

 

[BestMomEver]

Are you sure they were eating your coral? They do tend to crawl over everything, eating algae and detritus. I consider them a valuable member of my CUC in my semi-predator reef. I pull out any on the glass during water changes to keep them in check.

I assume so. I had one crawl up the branch of an acro and leave a bare strip all the way up. It’s never been the same.

 

[Neo Jeo]

Gee whiz! A laser? Where did you get that?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Laser...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[Duffer]

Harlequins will devour the starfish. I had probably 8-10 on my glass at night. Next day after I put halepuin in the tank there were 100+ on the glass running for their lives.

I feed the harlequin sand sifting starfish not chocolate chip. Too many stories of the cc eating softies. Feed once a month.

good to know....thanks

 

[Waters]

I assume so. I had one crawl up the branch of an acro and leave a bare strip all the way up. It’s never been the same.

Well I guess that is a pretty good indication lol.

 

[rkpetersen]

The little grey sea stars are mostly asterina species. They typically eat coralline algae although some people have reported that they eat zoas; I haven't heard of them attacking acros before but anything's possible. As mentioned, a harlequin shrimp, or a bonded pair, will actively hunt down all kinds of stars including asterinas. If you get a pair, the larger is typically the female and she's the boss; the little male in my pair pretty much follows her around and takes her lead like a puppy dog. They're so good at hunting stars that I actually add asterinas to their tank regularly, that I fish out of my other tank and even ones I've pulled out of an LFS' tank. No matter how many I put in, they always vanish. I also have several chocolate chip stars in the sump and I cut off an arm now and then and feed it to the harlequins. They always find it quickly and haul it off to their lair, then I don't see them at all for a couple of days. I've tried cutting up a star and freezing several of the legs for later, but my harlequins didn't show any interest in them when frozen/thawed.

 

[Thor2j]

How many can I put in a 60 cube? Will he get along with my cleaner shrimp?

1 will do the job.

 

[BestMomEver]

The little grey sea stars are mostly asterina species. They typically eat coralline algae although some people have reported that they eat zoas; I haven't heard of them attacking acros before but anything's possible. As mentioned, a harlequin shrimp, or a bonded pair, will actively hunt down all kinds of stars including asterinas. If you get a pair, the larger is typically the female and she's the boss; the little male in my pair pretty much follows her around and takes her lead like a puppy dog. They're so good at hunting stars that I actually add asterinas to their tank regularly, that I fish out of my other tank and even ones I've pulled out of an LFS' tank. No matter how many I put in, they always vanish. I also have several chocolate chip stars in the sump and I cut off an arm now and then and feed it to the harlequins. They always find it quickly and haul it off to their lair, then I don't see them at all for a couple of days. I've tried cutting up a star and freezing several of the legs for later, but my harlequins didn't show any interest in them when frozen/thawed.

That’s so cool! How long does it take for them to eat a cc starfish leg? Also, I have tons of those tiny stars. How will I know when it has eaten them all? I know there’s no way to count all of them so I will have no idea if they’re all gone. I don’t want the shrimp to starve.

 

[jsvand5]

How many can I put in a 60 cube? Will he get along with my cleaner shrimp?

Don’t get more than one. One will wipe out your starfish population in a very short time. Then you’ll have to either buy starfish for it or give it back to the LFS