iwishtofish
Active member
Just found him crawling around in my sump. Is he a chocolate chip starfish? He seems to have the markings, but isn't quite as "bumpy" as I am used to seeing. Slightly smaller than a quarter, I would say:
Discovered this starfish (picture)
- Thread starter iwishtofish
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TurtleSoup2
New member
+1 asterina star fish, wich will mulitply fast
iwishtofish
Active member
So, are you guys implying I should put it back, or leave it out? Or struggle with an agonizing decision, haha. I assume if there is one, there are already more...
thebkramer
New member
asternia usually have more than 5 legs.. and are oddly shaped..
try chucks
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchhikers.html
try chucks
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchhikers.html
never assume there are more but with corals i wouldnt allow even one to live as long as i spotted it! lol there really isnt any way around it, like it was said you probably have quite a few because they multiply very fast and assuming the tank has decent enough params for life...they will be abundantly happy
iwishtofish
Active member
Thanks for the link. Couldn't make a definitive ID, though.
Well, I put him back in the sump. I surely may regret it. He scooted away unbelievably fast. I know, at least, that he doesn't likely bother GSP, small polyps, or mushrooms. He's relatively large, likely meaning a good appetite, so I figure he would have by now.
Not true, I have some with 3 legs.
If you get too many then you have a perfect reason to have a harlequin shrimp
thebkramer
New member
your like me!! should we be beat?? :lol:
I don't like to kill anything unless I see it actually doing harm.. and even then I have a hard time killing it!! I usually put it in a ziplock and put it in the freezer
except aiptasia :lol:
I don't like to kill anything unless I see it actually doing harm.. and even then I have a hard time killing it!! I usually put it in a ziplock and put it in the freezer
except aiptasia :lol:
thebkramer
New member
Not true, I have some with 3 legs.
If you get too many then you have a perfect reason to have a harlequin shrimp
your right!! hahahah I meant.. full, they have more than 5 legs.. but you can find them in "pieces" too :thumbsup:
in the beginning of my tanks life.. I had sooo many of them.. they just eventually disappeared
iwishtofish
Active member
Not true, I have some with 3 legs.
If you get too many then you have a perfect reason to have a harlequin shrimp
I've always wanted one, but still don't know if I have the stomach for it. Takes a tough person!
your like me!! should we be beat?? :lol:
I don't like to kill anything unless I see it actually doing harm.. and even then I have a hard time killing it!! I usually put it in a ziplock and put it in the freezer
except aiptasia :lol:
Yes, I would kill aiptasia, flatworms, aefw, redbugs...most other things (including gorilla crabs and mantis) I'd have a hard time with!
That thing sure looks like the Coral eating variety on chucksaddiction's site. Its right below the normal Asterina picture.
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchstars.html
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchstars.html
fasteddie99
New member
I can count at least 50 of them in my tank at any given time and Ive never seen them eat any Zoos. It seems they like the algae on the glass.
Ive seen them with 2 legs to 7 legs and all sorts of shapes. As far as Im concerned they are harmless..:twitch:
Ive seen them with 2 legs to 7 legs and all sorts of shapes. As far as Im concerned they are harmless..:twitch:
SushiGirl
Premium Member
Just keep an eye on it. If you consistently find it on your corals, sump it. If you consistently find it on the glass or rock, it's likely eating algae. I've gotten a few as hitchhikers on frags, when I find them in the DT, I toss them in the sump just to be on the safe side LOL. I've been seeing a lot more of these with color on them than I did when I had tanks before, back then mostly you'd find white/off-white ones that ate algae. These darker blotched ones make me a little more nervous, especially since they come in on coral frags so frequently. So far I've only found one on a zoa frag (didn't seem to be doing anything), the rest have been on the rock when I find them but I still prefer to be safe.
iwishtofish
Active member
Did take notice of that!
Maybe I can expect many more!
I haven't seen him but once. But I'll be looking closely.
Yeah, I'm glad I threw it back in the sump, rather than the DT! So far so good with the soft corals that came on the sump live rock, and when I throw an SPS down there (just to see how it does under the PAR 38s) I'll watch to see what happens with it.
iwishtofish
Active member
Well, now that I think of it, it's possible my powerhead blew it as it landed upside down when I reintroduced it to wreak death and destruction on my tank. So I couldn't say for sure. :hmm2:
sassyfrassy
New member
My tiny to 1/4" asterina stars are all different shapes with 3-7 legs, but when they grow up to 1/2" - 3/8", they all have just 5 legs. I've examined them very closely and I'm almost positive they are all asterinas.
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