Star shaped stuff?

[Daddy-o]

What are these star shaped things growing on my rock? Noticed 5 days ago with one on glass, but now all over. They are about the size of a pin head.

 

[Greenpillow]

... Starfish...

 

[woody390]

Asterina Starfish, they will eat algea etc but if they run low on food they will start to eat certain corals from what I have heard however they are fine in my fowlr and a good cuc

 

[Daddy-o]

I have a lot if corals in the tank. Should or how do I get rid of these things? I Have a little hair algae problem right now - will solving that problem helpb solve this one?

 

[TonyEnr]

You could just pick them out whenever you see them or invest in a Harleguin Shrimp.

 

[TonyEnr]

Like Woody390 said, they usually just eat algae(coralline algae) but can(and are highly known to) turn on corals, specifically zoanthids

 

[mr_X]

I would leave them. They may never touch a coral. It's like anything else in this hobby. I've seen "reef safe" tangs eat thousand dollar corals.

 

[Riverhawk]

Oohh its the invasion of the [moderator edit]white starfish..and my mom thought hers was bad...

 

[STP wellsophyllia]

Definitely invest in a harlequin shrimp! They are one of the coolest additions to my tank so far.. He will eat alot of those pesky little seastars. If you get one here are some facts:
-completely reef safe.
-Mostly active at night.
-Passive to inverts and fish
-May be fed every 1-3 weeks by purchasing a chocolate chip starfish depending on how big and how fast it eats.
Just a side note- chocolate chip stars are not reef safe so make sure the harlequin is hungry before you put one in the tank. If you arent comforable putting it in your tank you can seek alternative food sources with some reaserch online

 

[Convict2161]

I have a harliquen shrimp but I wouldn't suggest getting one to get rid of your issue. Let them be. If it gets too outta control then I'm sure there are other avenues I'm sure. Spend money on the shrimp and then 10-20 bucks on a star to feed your shrimp maybe not worth it in the end.

Plus you have to keep an extra eye on water parameters as the decaying stars body can foul up your water a little.

Don't get me wrong, I love mine. But I bought mine because I wanted it and so did the wife. Just gets expensive after awhile.

Mine cost me a few bucks.

 

[mr_X]

I would put the starfish right next to him. It will keep it from going anywhere even if it's not hungry (if you go that route). 3 weeks was too long for the harlequin I had in a 150 gallon.
I would suggest one starfish a week, or maybe trade it to other reef keepers in your area that have an abundance of stars.

 

[ddoss]

I love my harlequin, I keep my chocolate chips in the sump, and just cut a leg off when I see him. He always comes to the same corner when he is hungry may not be worth it to some, but I love mine.

 

[STP wellsophyllia]

I love my harlequin, I keep my chocolate chips in the sump, and just cut a leg off when I see him. He always comes to the same corner when he is hungry may not be worth it to some, but I love mine.

Great! yes, everyone knows the legs grow back.. So i assume you could cycle between stars

 

[melosu58]

I`ve had them in my tank for 15 yrs now and they have never damaged a coral. They will be OK in the tank.

 

[Convict2161]

I agree with Mr. X, I feed mine once a week just about. I keep one in the back chamber of my cube. It gets expensive though.

 

[mr_X]

Great! yes, everyone knows the legs grow back.. So i assume you could cycle between stars

It takes about 6 months for a leg to grow back. You would need a lot of starfish to pull this off.

 

[Convict2161]

It takes about 6 months for a leg to grow back. You would need a lot of starfish to pull this off.

Again Mr. X is spot on. Before investing in onesie sure you know the whole deal. There a lot of work IMO and when there put its feeding time! I don't see mine unless she's Hungary.

 

[JJ-MIK]

There are two types of those little stars.. Im not sure what the color difference is.. But one is fully safe.. While the other one eats all your coraline.. If you let it go. They will multply worse than i seen in your picture,, my lfs is picking them out by hand every time they see one. But they leave the other ones alone.. I think the bad ones have a grey patch on them... Dont quote me on the color.. But maybe look it up and see what you can find..

 

[mr_X]

There are two types of those little stars.. Im not sure what the color difference is.. But one is fully safe.. While the other one eats all your coraline.. If you let it go. They will multply worse than i seen in your picture,, my lfs is picking them out by hand every time they see one. But they leave the other ones alone.. I think the bad ones have a grey patch on them... Dont quote me on the color.. But maybe look it up and see what you can find..

There are many types actually, and you would need around a million to eat a tank void of coralline algae, if in fact they do eat it. I don't have any evidence of this and seeing that I have to use a steel blade to remove coralline, and I haven't seen something as effective in a starfish's mouth, I have a hard time believing it.
The ones in my tank are eating diatoms and assorted macro algae thus far.

 

[JJ-MIK]

My LFS has them. And they pointed out spots on the rock that the purple stuff was disappearing.. I'll ask them tomorrow when I go in there. I know he pulls them out daily...