Very small starfish looking things

[fachatga]

I’ve got a bunch in my tank. Never cause an issue. Usually missing a leg or part of one as that’s how they make more. If you see too many a harlequin shrimp can help keep the numbers down.

 

[Uzidaisies]

The other name is the correct name but in the hobby they have been called astarina for decades. If you call them the right name nobody will know what you're talking about. Reef builders reef therapy podcast just did a nauseatingly pedantic podcast episode about this.

Asterina and Aquilonastra are two different genera in the family Asterinidae.

 

[reeferericb]

I’ve got a bunch in my tank. Never cause an issue. Usually missing a leg or part of one as that’s how they make more. If you see too many a harlequin shrimp can help keep the numbers down.

How many is too many? I’m happy to have all the clean up crew I can get.

 

[fachatga]

I would think too many is when you see tons of them all over the place. They can annoy corals. I only see a few at a time though.

 

[BTimms]

A little off topic, but do you know if Aquilonastra will eat macroalgae, including Coralline. In that case, they would still be pests in my planted marine aquarium.

They will munch on surface film of coralline. It is usually dead surface tissue. And from my observations it actually promotes growth of coralline. ITS like they buff the coralline, you will see bright pink in the spot they clean.