Ugly pest

[jmil08]

Does anyone have this problem in their tank? How do you get rid of them?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ReefWhatYouSow]

Looks like asterina starfish to me. Easiest way is to get a harlequin shrimp. Once they clean out the population they will die unless you feed them, or you could take them out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jeff240gallon]

I love those little guys.. But harlequins shrimp usually do it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IrishTang]

Asterina can eat your zoas though and one will quickly turn into one thousand. I second the harlequin but it can still take them a lot of time depending on population of stars. I was loaned a harlequin a year ago and he has barely made a dent. I was thinking of getting another actually. Only problem with harlequins is they will eat ANY starfish so no linkia, fromia ,sand sifting or brittle stars can be in tank with them. Manually remove as much as you can and look into a harlequin, pretty easy to find and cheap.

 

[jeff240gallon]

:0 I didn't know that about zoas. Will harlequins get along with other shrimp? Coral bandit and blood red. I've had a harlequin before but he flew solo


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Postal]

There are many species of asterina, and most are harmless algae grazers. Unless you specifically see them on your corals, I wouldn't worry about it. Most of the time you will find them on your glass and liverock eating algae.

 

[nitr8]

I had them in a plague proportion. I added a pair of Harleys and within a month they were all gone. Mine are huge though. Now I feed them a large chocolate chip starfish about once a month. They seem to be happy. They regularly breed and feed the tank with their eggs. Also not all starfish are at risk. I have 4 serpent stars that the shrimp dont seem to mess with. Even see them cross paths from time to time and they leave each other alone. I also have a ton of micro brittle stars and the Harleys dont seem to seek them out either.

 

[Reefpilot11]

Im dealing with this outbreak as well...Manually removing a few every day, only because I have caught them on my zoos.

 

[TalloneJosh]

I've got a harlequin shrimp if somebody wants him, I had a bunch of these starfish and he took care of them. I was about to trade him in, but if someone wants it $20 and it's yours.

 

[Safir]

Asterina can eat your zoas though and one will quickly turn into one thousand. I second the harlequin but it can still take them a lot of time depending on population of stars. I was loaned a harlequin a year ago and he has barely made a dent. I was thinking of getting another actually. Only problem with harlequins is they will eat ANY starfish so no linkia, fromia ,sand sifting or brittle stars can be in tank with them. Manually remove as much as you can and look into a harlequin, pretty easy to find and cheap.

Lol, he must have had his full in our tank, he obliterated our population in weeks. I have seen fewer than a dozen stars since you took him.

I will second the serpent stars, the harlequin left ours alone, although theere were plenty of slower moving asterisk for it to feast on.

 

[IrishTang]

He did a real good job at first, then you could see the stars fleeing up the sides of the glass, now they hang out higher in the tank where he only goes occasionally. He likes to be hand fed too so Ill grab a couple and set them in front of him and he goes to town. I think my asterina population was a lot bigger than I first thought!

 

[Safir]

As long as they are away from the coral he is doing his job

 

[mblackburn]

Bag them up and I'll pick them up if you're close!