What starfish is this???

SaracensRugby · Jan 16, 2020

So what is this character? I just found like 5 of them, about the size of a small dime. White/grey with little grey spots. Hopefully not bad.....

DSC reef · Jan 16, 2020

Asterina. Some are good, some are bad, no one can tell. I've had the bad so I vote remove when you see them. They can multiply fast and for a while they never bothered anything. Unfortunately zoas were being eaten and by that time there were hundreds.

flsalty · Jan 16, 2020

Asterina starfish. I don't think they're bad but several people will disagree...lol

DSC reef · Jan 16, 2020

flsalty said:
Asterina starfish. I don't think they're bad but several people will disagree...lol

They are only bad if they eat coral. I liked having them as starfish are cool. Problem is you can't tell if they are bad and those who ever experienced corals being decimated can understand why caution should be taken if you decide to keep them.

LetItReef · Jan 16, 2020

Started with couple Asterinas but now there are a handful.
I have Zoas / LPS and so far no harm.

BloopFish · Jan 16, 2020

For some reason they don't multiply very fast in my tank, even though its pretty dirty and high nutrient right now.

flsalty · Jan 16, 2020

DSC reef said:
They are only bad if they eat coral. I liked having them as starfish are cool. Problem is you can't tell if they are bad and those who ever experienced corals being decimated can understand why caution should be taken if you decide to keep them.

I know people say they've eaten their coral. I've never had them do that so I try to give advice based only on my personal experience.

SaracensRugby · Jan 16, 2020

Thanks for the info so far. As I plucked out about 4 of them, they seem to have eaten a path through the corraline on my rocks, or at least around the spots they were. So to be safe if they like that hard stuff, I am removing them.

X-37B · Jan 16, 2020

They eat coralline. They ate all the zoas in my nano. The white spots are from them eating the coralline on my bare bottom. I just remove about 20 last nite with long hemostats. I will remove as many as I can get when I see them. They eat corraline fast.

Phil D. · Jan 16, 2020

I have found that if they are on the glass or back wall, they eat algae, if on the rocks or corals they are bad.

Fishingandreefing · Jan 16, 2020

flsalty said:
Asterina starfish. I don't think they're bad but several people will disagree...lol

Not several, I am pretty sure 99% will lol

vetteguy53081 · Jan 16, 2020

picking up 2" harlequin shrimp tomorrow to eliminate the ones I cannot reach in my system.
They are not welcome in any of my tanks especially have one huge one that made a meal of my Bam Bam zoa colony !

Fishingandreefing · Jan 17, 2020

vetteguy53081 said:
picking up 2" harlequin shrimp tomorrow to eliminate the ones I cannot reach in my system.
They are not welcome in any of my tanks especially have one huge one that made a meal of my Bam Bam zoa colony !

Maybe that’s how I lost my bam bam.

vetteguy53081 · Jan 17, 2020

Fishingandreefing said:
Maybe that’s how I lost my bam bam.

This guy got to larger than a penny eating them like candy

https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/1576117468999-png.1324327/

DSC reef · Jan 17, 2020

flsalty said:
I know people say they've eaten their coral. I've never had them do that so I try to give advice based only on my personal experience.

And that's exactly what I do. I just think its responsible to let people know there is a chance and it's well documented that some can eat coral. Happy reefing.