Hitchhiker. Is it what i think it is?

[JPReef]

Mystery Starfish - I think its a baby chocolate star.

 

[J. Montgomery]

Asterina star, harmless in my experience.

 

[jefathome]

Yup... Asternia. They can multiply like crazy in a reef tank. I finally got a harlequin shrimp and he took care of them in about 3 weeks.

 

[JPReef]

So they are a bad star? Like crown of thorns or something?

 

[Elysia]

No, they aren't bad, per say. Most are indifferent. Lots of people never have a bad asternia. Some people will have a few that will eat corals or things growing on corals. These are either rouge animals, or perhaps a subspecies that looks very similar to the others. I leave them.

 

[JPReef]

Cool, ill leave it. From what I have read so far it will be beneficial in the startup stages of my tank. Especially when the diatom bloom hits. If he acts up, ive got a 20g long ill throw him in since im looking to make it into an invert tank anyway. Thanks guys and gals.

 

[AJSTITAN14]

+1 Asterina

I've got one that does laps around the tank on the glass. 6 arms like yours.

My GF loves it. She named it Ellie. Short for elevator since the star goes up and down the glass a lot.

 

[JPReef]

Haha nice. Ever since i got my lights running i havent seen him since. Dunno, maybe hes just trying to get used to the lights now.

 

[AJSTITAN14]

I have only seen the one in my tank. I will probably regret saying this but I hope she multiplies. If the tank gets overrun by them I will get myself a Harlequin. I specifically set up my tank to have tons of narrow places where Asterina and Pods can escape predation. Two of my big rocks are almost completely hollow underneath with 1/4" holes all through them. I know the pods are breeding and growing because I see a few molted exoskeletons in the water column every day.

 

[dalston]

I recently lost about 3 polyps of tubbs blue zoas to an asternia star. I saw it sitting on the polyps before I went to bed (i usually see them scooting over corals) and didn't think anything of it. When I woke, I could see the 'clean' marks of eaten zoas, after lights out the same night the star was back on the frag...needless to say his life ended there, along with about 30 others...