Star shaped moving critter - Aquarium Advice

bumblebee1976 · 05-09-2009, 06:05 AM

Hi - I was just wondering if anybody could tell me what might have got into my tank! It is tiny (3/4cm) and sort of star shaped, with one of the points being slightly larger than the rest. The points are quite blunt and rounded, it is more flower shaped really but it moves quite fast!

It is inhabiting my bubble tube and is beige in colour with a darker brown sort of speckled effect. Could it be a baby starfish or something else? I can't get a picture at the moment because it is so tiny. I bought some loose mushrooms yesterday and it seems to have come from them. Also, could anybody tell me if the mushrooms will attach themselves to anything in time and reproduce? There are other things that have come in on the live rock but this is the only one that moves apart from feather dusters! The other thing I am interested in looks like white mould, it is sort of fluffy with holes in it. Should I leave it or clean it off? I will have to find a way to photograph these things - any suggestions? I have a digital camera but it doesn't seem to do close ups. Many thanks.

**melosu58** · 05-09-2009, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bumblebee1976

I bought some loose mushrooms yesterday and it seems to have come from them. Also, could anybody tell me if the mushrooms will attach themselves to anything in time and reproduce?

I`ll let you decide

divedeep1689 · 05-09-2009, 09:45 AM

the white mold he described is also on a rock in my tank i would also like to know wat it is

**roka64** · 05-09-2009, 10:28 AM

Sounds like asternia stars and sponges, but without a pic, it is just a guess.

divedeep1689 · 05-09-2009, 11:09 AM

i am with roka on the asternia stars alot of times you get those and never see them sometimes they can be in your live sand when you buy it and after a few weeks they start to appear i wish i could take a pic of my white mold looking thing but my sister in law broke the camera lol i might try with my phone later i have to run to my girl friends house now cya

ezy33 · 05-09-2009, 11:21 AM

ASTERINA STARS You may see little oddly shaped white starfish crawling around on your glass. These are asterina stars. They will split and multiply in your tank. MOST asterinas in our tanks are good guys, but there are some types that munch on coral. Watch them... if they are always on your coral, be wary. If they are cruising your glass, they are probably algae grazers.

Xtalreef

bumblebee1976 · 05-09-2009, 01:11 PM

Thank you so much for the helpful pics - at least someone knows how to photograph these things in miniature! A digital camera should be able to zoom - I will research this. Yes - that's it! An asterina star - I wondered why it had 6 legs lol!! So it won't grow into a big starfish then? Shame if not, I got all excited about that. Btw divedeep1689, I'm a gal not a guy! Just to clarify, does the asterina come from the white mould-like growth or is the id on the star shaped creature I described to begin with? So the mushrooms attach to wherever you lay them. I have put them on the fake live rock I got with the tank to try and help it look more authentic!! Would they do better on the real live rock? Also, what do I need to feed the mushrooms and the asterina starfish with? I have been adding Invert food and feeding my anemone with a small plunger. The only fish in the tank are clown gobies and they are thriving. Other than that, I've got 3 hermits and 2 turbos. It's been 4 weeks since setup and there is no ammonia or nitrites. My lfs have said that they think the cycle happened over a couple of days unbeknown to me, but this seems unlikely as I thought it would take a couple of weeks at least. The live rock is very mature - could that be why? I only did my water tests once a week so maybe I missed the cycle then. Thanks for the help with id.

ezy33 · 05-09-2009, 01:28 PM

The asterina star reproduces by dropping a leg or legs, thats why they have a irregular shape.

bumblebee1976 · 05-09-2009, 01:56 PM

Thanks - I only have one at the moment and it lives on the bubble tube though I can't believe there is a lot to eat on there because the tank is relatively new! If anyone is able to answer any of the other questions in my post I would be most grateful.

MaiNpHRaMe · 05-09-2009, 02:15 PM

once i removed all of my ast. stars my tank started thriving. I was losing corals left and right but i never witnessed the stars grubbing till i caught a swarm of them eating my galaxia colony at 3am before i went to work. If I were you - i'd get rid them, thats my advice.