What creature is this in my tank

[bubba60tackle]

Can anyone help identify what this is? It crawls all around the glass like a snail but doesn’t have a shell.

 

[bubba60tackle]

Better photo

 

[bubba60tackle]

Better photo

 

[FreeEnergyReefer]

Can anyone help identify what this is? It crawls all around the glass like a snail but doesn’t have a shell.

Asterina star; They are introduced into a system via live rock or frags. Some ppl say nuisance, some say they eat nuisance sponges and r part of a cleanup crew. They will reproduce a-sexually kinda rapidly, harlequin shrimp eat those stars specifically n they r the most beautiful unique shrimp in the hobby imo. But if u enjoy the star they do eat nuisance pineapple and those spiderweb looking sponges so if you dose phytoplankton on the regular or you'll see those sponges. Your decision

 

[Cell]

I remove asterinas.

 

[laverda]

Why? Tthey are not a pest but beneficial to our systems.

I remove asterinas.

 

[Cell]

Because they can indeed be a pest. They can indeed munch on coral. And they can spread rapidly. They provide no unique benefit that cannot be provided by something else.

 

[laverda]

I have never had them bother any of my corals in over 20 years of reef tanks. They are part of the clean up crew, biodiversity and ecosystem, just like bristle worms are.

 

[ReefSapper]

I have never had them bother coral but i understand their are types that will. That being said they do multiply at a rapid pace and are not something i ever desire in my tanks. Their are options to help control the population and several threads on what will eat Asterina stars so i would do a quick search and not stress to much, they are mostly harmless and will even clean up some algae.