Little White Stars Everywhere!!!

[odoprelude]

What the bloody heck are this things, where did they come from and... what do they want? It is so weird, these things popped up at the same time in all three of my tanks... As they get bigger they seem to change color to a pink-orange color.. They are everywhere!!! They don't appear to be harming anything... but... you never can tell! They taunt me when I try to sleep!!!! Should I skewer them with toothpicks?

Seriously, if anyone can direct me to more info about these new invaders, I would greatly appreciate it. They don't seem to slow down my micro brittle star population either...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

search up info on Asterina

 

[mcox33]

odoprelude

These things are all over my 90 gal have been for months. Don't know where they came from, just appeared overnight.

Don't seem to bother anything either

 

[odoprelude]

Great! Thanks, found good stuff on wetwebmedia.com.. Seen some cruising on my sps.. they say there they might munch on the sps tissue.. so, next question how to get rid of them?

 

[odoprelude]

okay, looks like on advancedaquarist.com the Nardoa starfish can get rid of these... RON, JIM.. can either of you guys get me a Nardoa? Here is the link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/gallery.htm

 

[MattG]

Chris I really wouldn't worry about them. I have had lots of them and introduced them purposely. I'm sure the rock I sold you had some. I have had lots of SPS and have never seen them harm them. I consider them a beneficial detrivore.

Yours could be a different species then what I had but until you see definite damage I wouldn't take any action

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10630513#post10630513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MattG
Chris I really wouldn't worry about them. I have had lots of them and introduced them purposely.

same here- Asterina are a great cleanup crew.
I don't think this is something that anyone can take the blame for.
Most reefkeepers will not believe there are harmful specimens.

 

[LtPiper]

I have them in my 55 and they stay on the back side of the tank. I never see them on the rocks. Unless you see them on your SPS causing damage I'd leave them alone.

*edit*
Oh yeah if you can get some out bring them to the meeting I'd like some in my other tanks.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10630575#post10630575 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LtPiper
Unless you see them on your SPS causing damage I'd leave them alone.

I agree.
The "good" Asterina are visually indistinguishable from the "bad" IME.
You need to actually witness the star eating an Acro before determining if it's a desirable specimen or not.

 

[firefish2020]

Man I'm glad you posted this Chris I get so tried of telling people that it's pretty much a rumor that these guys are bad. On that note I have seen 2 that were causing damage to SPS but like you guys said you have to see it before you make that call and the 2 were out of hundreds I've seen that caused no harm.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10631609#post10631609 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by firefish2020
you have to see it before you make that call and the 2 were out of hundreds I've seen that caused no harm.

2:100 (bad to good) seems like the same ratio I had.
Of course, Harlequin Shrimps will eat 'em all and let the reef gods sort 'em.

 

[firefish2020]

You know I never thought of that. I just steered away from harlequins afraid they would starve. What a great idea Gary, they grow like weeds in some of my tanks. I may try that at some point.

 

[WVfishguy]

I’ve got those sea stars in at least four aquaria. They are harmless.

I've noticed a lot of aquarists (marine or freshwater) think they should have total control of every critter in "their" aquariums. Like God.

Folks, you ain't God. It isn't even really your aquarium; you just take care of it. Nature owns and operates that aquarium, like it or not.

I've heard people complain about "infestations" of snails, "what are those horrible white worms!", "dangerous" sea stars, etc. I tell them to shut up, relax, and enjoy their aquarium.

(A customer of mine SIMPLY COULD NOT STAND all those icky snails in her tank. I put in a clown loach, snails were all gone in a day or so. Then she complains about the hair algae bloom. I reply, "What did you think the snails were eating?")

If you have an aquarium, you're going to have various and sundry invertebrate squatters. They are filling a niche. If you screw around with your aquarium all the time, you're screwing around with Mother Nature. And you'll always lose.

The gist: Those who leave their tanks alone (other than routine maintenance) will be successful. Those who try to play God always have their tanks crash.

I have a deep trust in nature. That's why I'm a DSB fan.

 

[essop3]

I was amazed at how much better my tank did when I started to "neglect" it. I now do a 30g water change once a month and keep my hands out of it.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10636987#post10636987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WVfishguy
I’ve got those sea stars in at least four aquaria. They are harmless.

yours might be harmless.
And then again, maybe they aren't. Do you have many of them in an aquarium with living Acropora?
(Let's assume you do.)
Did you realize there are different species of Asterina?
Did it cross your mind that different species (or perhaps even different specimens of the "good" algae eating Asterina) might develop a taste for SPS flesh?
If you don't "screw around with mother nature" and remove SPS eating Asterina you'll have a lot of dead SPS.
God has nothing to do with this. The responsible reefkeeper has everything to do with this.

The topic of SPS eating Asterina has popped up repeatedly over many years on RC. Do a search.

 

[firefish2020]

The gist: Those who leave their tanks alone (other than routine maintenance) will be successful. Those who try to play God always have their tanks crash.

I think what Fishguy is saying is basically what I covered today at the meeting. We create ecosystems and ecosystems have a tendency if left alone to emulate or model what happens on the real reefs once they are balanced. If we remove a link in the chain it will be filled in by whatever is waiting in the wings. Sometimes good sometimes bad. In fact I bet these asternia are filling in a nitch because of another variable has changed Chris. Anything has the ability to change into a terror in the reef once it develops a taste for coral look what happened with that devil fish (blue hippo) of mine, that was just painful LOL, the coral and clam that that fish ate was a good but hard lesson to me about "reef safe" labels LOL.

 

[odoprelude]

well, that's the thing, I have seen them on my acros... some get on there, some don't, some are around receding portions, some just walk across them.. me... I don't want to take any chances, and frankly don't like the look of them.. I have thousands of mini brittle stars, so detirus is covered, not to mention my foot long bristleworm, Harold. Ron, can you get the above mentioned star? Harlequins might go after my other stars, so I don't think I am interested in those.. well, I am interested in those, but not in this tank... hehe...