What's my Gramma doing with this starfish?

[rpisces]

I have found on several occasion that my royal gramma is catching these Asterinas and put it in its lair!

It is not eating it. The gramma came out immediately after going in.

Anyone seen this behaviour? And why is it doing that?

Rgds
khoo

 

[saltycreefer]

Maybe he thinks they're little coral bits and is using them as building blocks. I've seen jawfish pick up live hermits and snails to use for their burrows.

 

[rpisces]

i think mine is not the case because the Gramma didnt touch any coral bits lying around.

My friend said maybe he is using the starfish as a clean-up crew!

Regards
khoo

 

[Jojoyojimbi]

what if he's sticking them to the ceiling like those plastic glow in the dark stars that kids decorate their rooms with?

 

[masher]

Hmm my Roayal Grama does the opposite, if he finds any of the cleaner snails or hermits on his rock he bites the shell until they fall off or he pulls them off.

 

[blas]

Strange but cool, I have tons of those starfish right now to the point I may start pulling them out manually.

 

[Labman48076]

don't pull them out

don't pull them out

there is people selling thaose little guys on Ebay you could also sell them locally a lfs might give you a little trade in for them. but I seen people selling them 4 for 20 plus ship lol

 

[Bergovoy]

I have a bunch of them in my tank. They tend to come and go.

I ahve been told they are not a problem unles they growth pattern adn rates change so that they overpopulate the tank... And it is typicaly the detirus they leave behind that is the problem..


Bill

 

[ddoering]

Are these bioluminescent starfish?

I get the feeling these reproduce in people's tanks, anybody know a complete scientific name for them?

Are they just scavengers, or do you have to worry about them eating other things you might want to keep.

Once I sell the house and move and get my tank set up I would love to get some glow in the dark starfish if they get along well with others...

I'd agree with the person who said don't just pull them out, trade them in at the LFS or sell them to people who want some

 

[Bergovoy]

my lfs did not want them . No value to them,

 

[Stoney Mahony]

the heck with your LFS, Ebay! You will sell them or post them up in the trading forum on here. Sometimes LFS don't have a clue.

 

[dragonforce]

This is just a stab in the dark but my guess is that the gramma knows the stars are good cleaners so he moves them into his lair for them to go to work.

For comparison, I had a mantis shrimp living with a brittle star. After the mantis was done eating he would take his leftovers to the brittle star and would treat him like his own personal garbage dump. They both liked the relationship.


What you have there are Asternia stars and they are usually algae grazers but some can feed off corals.

 

[Tactstat]

Acutally these stars are infamous for eating coraline algea and even in some cases SPS.

I imported a few to my tank awhile back and spent the next 6 months hand picking them out becuase they were eating my corals.

If you find another on your good purple stuff you might move him and see if the color under him has changed to a white or off white. If it has then the starfish is eating it.

As for the behavior of the fish, I can't say I know!

 

[Labman48076]

if you read up on them there are at least two varity's one that has been suspected of eating cloraline and sps one just know as good clean up crew the best way to decide this is too watch them and if it's just cloraline is that rare in you tank that you can't share a little.. if only I could train them two only eat it on the glass or Acrylic how cool would that be.. I have several in my tank also right now they are under contarol and I haven't observed any bad behavior, till then they are welcome I will even share my algea with them but not my sps:strooper:

 

[rpisces]

So far, it has not not eaten any of my coraline algae or corals. They are all over the place but not on the glass. Maybe, my glass is too clean. They are among my zoanthids, rocks, rubbles but not on any corals.

They have a pinkish tint but not bioluminescent.

I am observing them incase......

regards
khoo

 

[sjfishguy]

Dont sell these pests on ebay for the sake of the poor people that will actually buy them. You can also buy "beautiful aptasia anemones" on ebay too. A whole rock covered for only $20+shipping! Ebay: people will buy ANYTHING.