Asterina Eating Zoa - Pic inside!

[Zander]

Came home 2 days ago only to find this asterina star wrapped around a perfectly healthy zoa. I let it be and checked on it the next morning. As you can see in the 2nd pic, the star was gone and the zoa was obvioulsy damaged.

 

[Freed]

Just looks retracted, not damaged to me.

 

[Zander]

I hope your right. Only time will tell..

It's been closed like that for 48 hours, which I've never seen them do (and I've had the colony for 3+ years). Also, normally when they do close they maintain their purple color -- they're not pale white.

 

[aquarius77]

Yea, i have seen this first hand in my tank. I call that the death grip when they wrap around the zoa like that. I know that polyp is dammaged, im sure they arent that small when they close up from just being disturbed. Look at the stem size/length in the first pic and then look at it in the second, that polyp was sucked dry.

Excellent pictures, very good documentation.

 

[da1jewfish]

My experience with them proves to be that they are algae eaters. when there isn't any algae they want they are oppurtunistic (sp?). I would keep an eye out for it, but wouldn't worry too much. That particular polyp just might not have liked it.
The stars can be pulled off anything easily with tweezers

 

[edwing206]

I would have taken it out when you had the chance......... Not that it would ahve made a difference, you probably have a lot more.

 

[aquarius77]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11012075#post11012075 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by da1jewfish
My experience with them proves to be that they are algae eaters. when there isn't any algae they want they are oppurtunistic (sp?). I would keep an eye out for it, but wouldn't worry too much. That particular polyp just might not have liked it.
The stars can be pulled off anything easily with tweezers

I have alge for them to eat, many varities. So Does the OP for that matter


"That particular polyp just might not have liked it." Would you like to be eaten? I think not. How can you try to deny what the pictures plainly show? Why even try and say they dont eat them? just because you have not seen it go down "IYE" Exactly what is your experience with them? Any FTS?

 

[da1jewfish]

I have had a breeding population for a year now is my mini-reef tank- never had any problems, except them occasionally eating the coraline.
There are a few types of asterina's. Maybe you got some bad ones.
From your pictures I can't make out any asterina's.
and yes i do like to be eaten, whole.

 

[Kaos]

The asterina's I have must be a different species or something. I have about 15 in a 10gal. loaded w/ zoo's/paly's and have never lost a single one (that I've noticed anyway). YMMV.

 

[Zander]

I've had these in my tank for several years as well. Never have they killed or damaged anything. This is the very first time I've seen one on a Zoa. In the past I've only seen them eat algae.

However, I did purchase a large clean-up crew roughly 3 weeks ago and the amount of algae in my tank has decreased. Not sure if there would be a significant correlation, but thought I should mention it anyway.

 

[Pitcom]

I have personally seen the same exact thing on my colony of devil's armor. I pull these stats out when i see them now. They usually come out right after you turn the lights off. It took about 4 days and i pulled out about 18 and i havent seen one yet. Nice picture, thats exactly what mine looked like. It could also be that the stars eat the zoa excretement that comes out of thier mouth. It's possible thats why these stars center over the polyp head like that. I have seen anenome shrimp do this to zoas. Just food for thought.

 

[luke33]

Looks to me like you have tons of those nasty snails around your zoa's that put out the web's, the small little red toothpic things........vermatid snails(sp)