tiny starfish .... what eats them ?

[madimod]

I seem to have these little starfish and I was told they have the potential to sting corals. should I be worried and if so is there any thing that eats them or a way to get rid of them

 

[redsea reefer]

can you describe them or take a pic.

 

[Sc Seahawk]

I have these little starfish "Asterina Sp." in my tank. Some disturb/eat zoa,s and palys while other will eat Sps. Tomorrow I will be receiving a couple of harlequin Shrimp that supposedly will eat these guys.
I will keep you posted on the results.
I dont know how to post links but there are some good articles on the Garf Website about these Starfish

 

[madimod]

thanks keep me posted

 

[HndMafia]

eat zoa?? anyone have pics of zoa eating starfish?

 

[HndMafia]

wetwebmedia suggests asterina stars only eat corals that are already dying

 

[bekindtoyurbuds]

My harlequin eats up my asterina stars "little star fish", though I havn't seem the starfish eat any corals and I have had the stars for over a year, be warned the stars will eat your corraline algae, leaving little white spots behind.

 

[fishey08]

You could try a six line wrasse. I was having a problem with tiny snails on the glass. My six line ate these right up. I have seen the tiny starfishes in my tank and I think my six line took care of them too.

 

[gregod]

1 or 2 harlequin shrimp will get rid of them. Once the stars are gone you are going to have to feed the harlequins. Some people get a few chocolate chip starfish and feed the shrimp by cutting off a leg and tossing it in the tank.

 

[sunnyday]

1 or 2 harlequin shrimp will get rid of them. Once the stars are gone you are going to have to feed the harlequins. Some people get a few chocolate chip starfish and feed the shrimp by cutting off a leg and tossing it in the tank.

+1
A couple of harlequins are the way to go. They look really cute, too.

 

[KarlBob]

I think I'd try a six-line wrasse before a harlequin shrimp. Unlike a harlequin, a six-line can eat other things after the Asterina are gone.

 

[A sea K]

I have a Radiant, Yellow Coris, and Biocellatus wrsse in my 210. I have Asternia's in my sump but almost never see them in my display. These guys are all the same species and if I suspected just one of them it would be the Radiant.

 

[addictedtofish]

I have a Harliquin shrimp as well, he took care of all the stars now i feed him bits of a chocolate chips leg.

 

[Cracky]

Some wrasses will

 

[PhreeBYrd]

I seem to have these little starfish and I was told they have the potential to sting corals. should I be worried and if so is there any thing that eats them or a way to get rid of them

Assuming that these are in fact asterina stars, they do not, in my experience, bother corals at all. They eat microalgae, coralline and dead tissue. I have occasionally seen them on the stalks of palythoa, which should tell you how tough the little guys are. They do not harm zoas or other corals in any perceivable way, and are generally regarded as beneficial organisms and signs of a healthy ecosystem.

Asterinas are easy to identify, since they are rarely regularly-shaped like larger stars -- they will have some arms much smaller than others, some may have only three or four discernible arms, etc. I'm no expert on them, but have had them in my tanks for many years, sometimes at incredibly dense populations (1 per sq. cm on the glass). I have never seen any of the smaller (i.e., six-line) wrasses eat them, although larger fish will pick at them from time to time. Crabs and certain shrimps do seem to eat them. Their populations, like most reef inverts, are self-regulating based upon tank conditions.

Anyway, the larger question is, why would you want to get rid of them? Have you actually seen them do any damage?

 

[sme177]

Last night I pulled off an asterina star from my Birdnest and it left a nice white spot where it had been chowing down. I have always pulled them out whenever I see them, but this is the first time I have actually caught one eating anything...