More identification needed

[Ytsejam02]

Find another hitchhiker, must've been from the live rock. Anyone know what this is grey ish sea star is?

 

[dweber618]

Find another hitchhiker, must've been from the live rock. Anyone know what this is grey ish sea star is?

Asterina starfish.

 

[H2OCulture]

Plus one for asterina. Some are harmful coral eaters others not so much. Reproduce like crazy though if given the chance.

 

[Ytsejam02]

So far, my experience has been if they reproduce like crazy, they are likely not good to have around. The little research i've done since your comments, seems to agree, but looking for a broader opinion.... Remove it? If so, can I just pick it off the rock?

 

[dweber618]

So far, my experience has been if they reproduce like crazy, they are likely not good to have around. The little research i've done since your comments, seems to agree, but looking for a broader opinion.... Remove it? If so, can I just pick it off the rock?

I've slowly seen a few popping up in my tank recently. I like them, and will keep them. Another creature to help keep my tank clean for me at this point.

 

[Ytsejam02]

I've slowly seen a few popping up in my tank recently. I like them, and will keep them. Another creature to help keep my tank clean for me at this point.

I'm reading that they potentially eat corals and coralline algae. I don't currently have corals, though I plan to at some point. And I like coralline, and want it to spread, so I'm inclined to remove it, but again, looking for feedback, so thx!

 

[jminick2]

not certain but ive always read the light colored ones are reef safe and the dark ones are coral eaters

 

[H2OCulture]

Up to you! But better safe than sorry. If you like Harelquin shrimp, you can let them reproduce to a high level and get one of those for control.

Good luck!

 

[cloak]

I agree with the others, just remove them on sight.. A tank over populated with these things just looks like it's got chicken pox or something. Not very attractive... GL.

Until somebody can distinguish the good ones from the bad ones without a doubt I'll treat them all as bad. When people tell you that they're harmless ask them how big of a tank they have? The damage these creatures can do can easily go unnoticed in a large tank. Put a bunch of them in a 10 gallon nano and I'll bet these certain individuals will change their tune. JMO, GL.

 

[Atilla_87]

You can try to remove them, but my experience is that you will never eradicate them. They seems to come and go in my tank. They seem to become more numerous if I am feeding more. +1 on the harlequin shrimp, as long as you don't have any starfish you want to keep.

 

[Ytsejam02]

I removed it half an hour ago. For now, I'll just monitor the situation and see what happens. The tank is only 4+ weeks, and I'm taking it slow.

 

[gone fishin]

I agree with the others, just remove them on sight.. A tank over populated with these things just looks like it's got chicken pox or something. Not very attractive... GL.

Until somebody can distinguish the good ones from the bad ones without a doubt I'll treat them all as bad. When people tell you that they're harmless ask them how big of a tank they have? The damage these creatures can do can easily go unnoticed in a large tank. Put a bunch of them in a 10 gallon nano and I'll bet these certain individuals will change their tune. JMO, GL.

I agree I never paid them much attention for years, they would just come and go. About a year ago I got some grayish/brown ones that took out some stylophoras in pretty short order. Now If I see them they get removed.

 

[tmorford]

I had a ton of these little stars years ago. Tried picking them out but I couldn't keep up. Got a pair of harlequin shrimp and they kept them under control very nicely.