Asterina Stars

[Buzz1329]

Are they good or bad? I forget.

 

[swhobbie1]

it depends. I have not personally noticed them causing trouble other than climbing up on the glass which is annoying to look at. Have read that some of them have been known to eat corals but I have never observed this but...

 

[sixpackgarage]

they eat zoas and coralline algae. If you want those things gone, then Asterina are great.

This is just what I've eye-witnessed in my own tank.

 

[RGS2]

Some believe the white ones are OK but the dark greens ones are not. I personally had them reach plague proportions in my 225g. Took three Harlequin shrimp months to eat them all.

 

[davocean]

Not really bad, just invasive, and yes will eat coralline.
A harlequin will take them out, but then you have to feed or rehome them.

 

[Squidmotron]

They do indeed irritate and sometimes eat zoas.

Linckia stars will also eat them. Albeit quite slowly. I have proof of this.

 

[shifty51008]

I have never had any issues with them, ime they are decent cleaners. Im still looking for some to put in my tank after i redid it

 

[Ebone]

never really caused problems, but if I get my hands on them they usually get chucked.... sometimes the lucky one ends up in the sump... but not frequently.

 

[lhm nole]

they love my high end zoas in my 300 reef leave the cheap stuff alone I have seen them cover a healthy polyp completely to see the polyp gone a few days later so I kill them all have tried a harlequin but he disappeared will add a pair in the near future

 

[Tweaked]

I have had them in plague proportions, but so are my zoas lol. Never seen them mess with zoas. I added a harlequin shrimp and now only see a few hundred stars.

 

[kraftyforu]

I have tons of them and they dont bother anything, corals or coralline algae
I have this species

 

[rssjsb]

they eat zoas and coralline algae. If you want those things gone, then Asterina are great.

This is just what I've eye-witnessed in my own tank.

I think this blanket statement is a little too broad. People's experience seems pretty varied. I've had them for years in a number of tanks with little issue, but a long time ago, I had one eat a gorgonian. Maybe it was a lack of food, maybe the stars we call "asterina" actually are a bigger more diverse group than we know. So I agree there is a risk, but it seems kind of random.

 

[ca1ore]

maybe the stars we call "asterina" actually are a bigger more diverse group than we know.

I think that's correct; that our application of the term 'asterina' is imprecise. Any small, whitish star ..... it's an asterina. Many different species, some bad and some not. Trouble is, no reliable way to differentiate that I know of. If one sees them doing damage then remove; otherwise just thin the herd periodically.

 

[Shawn O]

I rarely see stars except when I p*** off the Mrs.

I always think I've gotten them all and they return a few days later. It's like they designate one to be the hider while they come out to play and once you've plucked them all out he comes out of a hole and starts splitting.

 

[alton]

I think that's correct; that our application of the term 'asterina' is imprecise. Any small, whitish star ..... it's an asterina. Many different species, some bad and some not. Trouble is, no reliable way to differentiate that I know of. If one sees them doing damage then remove; otherwise just thin the herd periodically.

I have always had the safe ones, but I some how ended up with a bad strain, even ate GSP

 

[RGS2]

I rarely see stars except when I p*** off the Mrs. I always think I've gotten them all and they return a few days later. It's like they designate one to be the hider while they come out to play and once you've plucked them all out he comes out of a hole and starts splitting.

Agreed. I new I dad a lot but realized I had plague proportions when I checked my tank with a flashlight hours after lights went out. There wasn't a inch of rock that didn't have four or five asterina's. Amazing how many came out at night. Took three harlequins several months to eat them. I turned two of the shrimp back in to the LFS and kept one to finish off the rest.

 

[gone fishin]

I think that's correct; that our application of the term 'asterina' is imprecise. Any small, whitish star ..... it's an asterina. Many different species, some bad and some not. Trouble is, no reliable way to differentiate that I know of. If one sees them doing damage then remove; otherwise just thin the herd periodically.

I believe this to be the case. I had cause about 8 months ago to research them. I found an article in the Advanced Aquarist that discussed this. The article surmised that there are many varieties of these stars and a small percentage seem to eat corals. This is what prompted my research, I had some that I found on a Stylophora. Wherever the stars where they left a small bare area on the Stylo. Just my observations

 

[Settings]

I've never seen them eat anything in my tank other that coralline. That I'm ok with because lees of that = less cal consumption

 

[Buzz1329]

Thanks!

 

[Buzz1329]

Given that posts tended from neutral to negative, I'll give them a pass for now.

Mike