Attack of the little starfish

[seesick]

New to the whole reef central thing. Can someone help? Are these starfish on the good side or bad, they seem to be grubbing on the coralean algae. I have pulled out about 25 of these bad boys from my tank. They just keep coming, Something to worry about or not?

 

[whiteshark]

They look like asterina to me. They are fine to have in the tank.

 

[Fat Man]

I'll agree with whiteshark. Here's a link with some info. Asterina

 

[gnrlee]

So Calfo really didn't explain the if they are harmful or harmless. He basically said they are harmless until your tank is clean. Did I read the article right? My question is, if my tank becomes too clean, then what will they turn on. My SPS, LPS, Zoos? Who knows. If anyone has any bad experiences with please let me know.

 

[whiteshark]

I never had a problem with em. Had tons at one point. Then, they were all gone. What happened, I dunno, but they never bothered any corals or anything.

 

[vessxpress1]

I'll take em. I've had fun watching
<--- this guy grow. I have a few of them in my tank. They divide occasionally. No harm.

 

[aural]

awe - they are so cute

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Yeah I have a problem with those or ones that look like them. They drop one of their arms to form a new starfish. The ones in my tank ate polyps. The wiped out some of my gsp and xenia(not that I care about the xenia). I am always pulling them out. If I didnt like the serpant star I have I would get a Harleqiun Shrimp for my 55.