plateboy3293
New member
I recently bought a zoa colony and with it came some brittle stars. The stars are multipling like crazy and I need to know what to do with the starfish?
The plague has come.
- Thread starter plateboy3293
- Start date
Need to identify the stars first though... if the are the beneficial mini stars that isn't a bad thing and they will eventually die off 'balancing out" to their food supply. If they happen to be a form of pest or coral or other inhabitant eating variety, then let us know what else is in the system. Shooting them with RO water if they are on the glass or rock might work since they are so sensitive to salinity changes. A picture would help as well... as detailed as possible.
plateboy3293
New member
The starfish have a central disk that is brown and the legs are long with dark and light brown colorations.
zenya
Premium Member
Do they look like this?
If so, these are harmless critters that I think I have in the hundreds in my 75g tank. I recently witness them spawning at night and every bit of the live rocks, refugium algae fronds and even some corals were covered in those stars. I have yet to see any detrimental effect of them living in my tank.
Another point to consider, you wanted or not, you probably already had them somewhere in your live rock.
Just like polychates worms that many people seem to have a fix on erradicating.... 
Sometimes it is good to step back and enjoy biodiversity that you may have in your tank.
plateboy3293
New member
Yes those are them only brown. One more question will they hurt a maxima I am planning to get it is about 2 in.
plateboy3293
New member
Why does the starfish you posted have six legs?
graveyardworm
Premium Member
The seastars you have are micro stars, beneficial feeders. These type stars generally have 6 legs, but depending upon how they reproduce may have less if it just split.
I would nt be concerned about the satrs harming the maxima, however a small two inch maxima will require additional feeding of phytoplankton until it grows an inch or so. Also maxima clams have the highest light demands for clams, MH will likely be required, and the tank should be mature before the clam is added, atleast 6 months.
I would nt be concerned about the satrs harming the maxima, however a small two inch maxima will require additional feeding of phytoplankton until it grows an inch or so. Also maxima clams have the highest light demands for clams, MH will likely be required, and the tank should be mature before the clam is added, atleast 6 months.
BrianPlankis
Premium Member
There are hundreds of species of mini brittlestars, with at least 5-10 common in the hobby. Probably the most common one in the hobby is Amphipholis squamata and it only has 5 arms when fully grown.
Picture:
Many mini brittlestars found in the hobby have 6 arms and usually indicates they are capable of reproducing by fission, although some do spawn.
Brian
Picture:
Many mini brittlestars found in the hobby have 6 arms and usually indicates they are capable of reproducing by fission, although some do spawn.
Brian
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9267552#post9267552 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zenya
Do they look like this?
If so, these are harmless critters that I think I have in the hundreds in my 75g tank. I recently witness them spawning at night and every bit of the live rocks, refugium algae fronds and even some corals were covered in those stars. I have yet to see any detrimental effect of them living in my tank.
Another point to consider, you wanted or not, you probably already had them somewhere in your live rock.
Sometimes it is good to step back and enjoy biodiversity that you may have in your tank.
I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a half dozen or so of those for my tank.
