Whats this

[robertloop]

Harlequin shrimp can be a real pain though. After you run outta small stars..... Now what? You have to buy chocolate chip stars to feed them. A friend of mine had one of those and finally had to get rid of it for that reason. Star fish can be expensive food!

 

[casalt]

So know I'm lost do I nuke the star or wait till the Zoanthids show problems......oh my head. Wait a minute can he be food for the BTA, if he's bad that is. Ed have your Zoanthids been eaten by these before, if so he's toast I love the zoo's more. The line in the sand has been drawn.

 

[Twisted]

Sorry Casalt, you will find a lot of things in this hobby are based on opions, varied experiences, speculations, and theory.
While Ed may have had these stars eat his zoas, that shows a potintial for them to do so, not that they will.
Where as a zoa eating nudibranch...will eat your zoas, not ifs and or buts.

You will find these debates going on about a lot of hitchhikers, crabs. shrimp, stars, nudis, sponges, etc....
So things are black and white, some fall in a grey area. I think this star falls in that grey area, while only a few people I have ever seen mention problems with these stars, there obviously is the potintial for them to be a problem, it maybe a 70/30 chance, but now it falls on you to decide if you want to take the risk.

I would not suggest feeding it to your BTA but rather just take him out of the tank. You can try the shrimp, but from what I read above, it isn't worth the hassle, perhaps there is a wrasse that might pick them off?

 

[dieselgrk]

i found one on a frag of yellow pavona i have. when i took him off the frag there was a freshly eaten hole about 1/8" round in the tissue of the pavona. i gave the starfish a slight squeeze and out came a yellow jelly of eaten tissue. these are BAD very BAD........imo

 

[casalt]

different on

different on

This is different he only has five points but the same color.

Not sure of the proper or common name for this coral its a purple color, with the correct name he can get whats needed for him.

I love the exploration of your own tank and the " Honey come look at this" moments.

 

[MandM]

I've been fortunate that mine only seem to graze on the glass and a bit of the coralline. They leave paler spots on the rock where they have been munching. From the experience of some experienced reefers, there are some of these guys that munch on more. The good and bad ones all seem to reproduce the same, splitting off and growing new legs. Sometimes you will see a single leg on the glass and it will look like some kind of nudi.

I agree, casalt, I'm enjoying the tiny feather dusters that are starting to get well established in my tank. There's always something new to wonder at.

 

[casalt]

This morning I had one duster now I have 4, 1 at 1 inch and 3 little guys around him. WOW

 

[Auntbeez]

The stars will divide and multiply quickly, and they MAY eat things you want to keep.

So would you rather pluck one or two out now, or later find out you don't want them and maybe risk losing corals you have paid money for???

I know what my choice is... I don't stress endlessly, but I use tweesers in my counter attack.

 

[juaninsac]

I have had these stars in virtually every reef tank I've ever set up. I have never noticed any issues with them. One idea that I'll throw out there is that the ones causing problems may be the same exact species everyone else has--it may be that they begin to cause problems at a certain density or lack of food availability.

One thing that I can say for certain is that Hymenocera spp. Harlequin shrimp are a terrible choice for a biological control for these stars. There is a very good chance that these shrimp will completely ignore your starfish. Even if they do consume them all, you are now stuck with an obligate starfish eater. For what it's worth a CC star every month will keep them nice and happy.

Some species of Nardoa spp. starfish will consume Asterina stars and are otherwise completely reef safe grazers like Linckia spp. This is an image from Greg Schiemer's old tank.

 

[shiveley]

Can't say that I've seen many Nardoa stars available around here though...

 

[casalt]

I'vr started pulling a couple out as they are showing up in my fuge now also. Basically form what I've amnaged to read is that every tank is different and so is the effect. I'll try middle ground for now and try to keep their population in check. The Harlequin will end needing his own food supply or something bigger to eat him, I could see this ending with one 40lb. fish holding a sign " will work for food". I only have SEEN 7 so far.