Asterinia Star Fish

[DaveBrader]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question for you all. My reef is over eight years old now. I have not added anything new to my tank in over two years. Nothing, not a piece of live rock, a fish, a coral, not a thing....... the only thing put into my reef tank in over two years has been food.

About two months ago, the reef started being infested with Asterinia Stars. In the morning, the front glass of the tank is covered with hundreds of them now.... Could there have been a dormant Asterinia Star in the tank for years without ever showing up and breeding, and then all of a sudden take off like a wild fire???

And of course the next question is: Is my best chance of getting rid of them to get some Harlequin Shrimp and just let them go to work?

Thanks, Dave

 

[rivoth]

Out of curiosity, what are you feeding the tank? If it's frozen food there is a chance that you added some viable eggs.

You might have always had a tiny population that cloned themselves until a spawning event caused them to become noticeable.

 

[R_Hudson]

I would say 1 harlequin shrimp will be more than sufficient to get rid of them. Just make sure you have another home for him because he will starve to death after the asterinas are gone. The harleqins eat almost non stop and can clear out a star population very very quickly.