Hitchhicker star id

jphayes921

New member
I just picked up a small clump of chaeto and just checking out my sump and seen this guy. Anyone got an ID? Keep in sump?
6104ec86e2827020e4e0ac12b63f94b5.jpg


Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
Asterina star. Hit or miss with those guys, harmless and also known to eat corals, best kept in sump if you desire to keep him.
 
Last edited:
And many of us have hundreds of them in our tanks minding their own business not bothering the corals at all..
Harmless IMO...
 
Asterina star. Known to eat corals, best kept in sump if you desire to keep him.
Thanks. After a little investigation I found someone with same post. Looks like I have two. I'll keep in sump. No coral as of today. Still a new tank. Only a month or so old.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
If there are coral eating species I've never seen them, and I've had them in virtually every tank I've owned. They get a bad rap because they will eat dead and decaying corals, so if a reefer has a coral that is dying and the Asterina Starfish is simply cleaning things up it gets blamed for the dead coral. The only complaint I have about them is their populations can get fairly large so they are annoying to look at on the glass.
 
Yeah, I have several. I think my hermit crabs may snack on them.
Well no crabs in the sump so these two are safe for now. I like the hitch hikers for now. Makes it interesting. Snail has something on his back and there is a brittle star somewhere in the dt. I love just playing wheres Waldo in the tank.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 
I know they are harmless, but my tank is infested with them. I have well over 1000. I tried a harlequin shrimp, but my molanarus wrasse seems to have eaten him. They multiply fast and I would think they would multiply in the sump and spread to the display.
 
Back
Top