Breeding Asternia Starfish?

[PirateLove]

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have been thinking about setting up a separate ten gallon tank for these guys to grow. I have about 12 in my main tanks and they are eating on my GSP. I have to pick them off every day. I have enough GSP to break bits off for them in a separate tank. Would that be enough for them that they would thrive? Anyone with experience or any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[similacbreath13]

I herd if they break a pice off they are now two creatures. Maybe tear them with tweezers..lol I'm very curious on what's your motive to breed them? I just pulled a ton out of my daughters tank if I'd known then I'd of mailed them to ya lol

 

[MondoBongo]

i've never seen these little guys eat healthy corals. i have them all over my tanks. they will crawl all over healthy coral, but i've never caught them nipping.

i've seen them start clean up on dead/dying coral, but that's a whole other story.

if there was a simple way to breed them though, i would be interested. my Harlequin Shrimp gets mighty hungry, and i can't always find Chocolate Chip Stars to feed her.

 

[ca1ore]

Most asterina 'breeding' I have observed via vegetative division (just the animal kind ) which is why you tend to see 'comets'. Just chop a bunch in half with a razor blade and you'll have more. It is also my understanding that there are a number of similar looking but different 'asterina' species - some destructive, others not.

 

[shifty51008]

don't they reproduce depending on how much extra food there is in the tank?

when I had my 46 gal bow that was a softy tank I had high nitrates and didn't do much for water changes and the corals did great however so did my Asternia Starfish, they were in like plague proportions. however when I did start to clean up the water to lower nitrates and such to start adding some sps and lps I noticed the starfish dissapearing. same thing with flatworms.

 

[k4ndyk1ng]

I don't know if I can put links to nano reef but there I have pictures of astrenia starfish actually splitting