Star shaped moving critter

[bumblebee1976]

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]

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]

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

 

[roka64]

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

 

[divedeep1689]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[bumblebee1976]

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]

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.

 

[melosu58]

IMO they are safe. The ones that mess with corals are a brown color. You can see in the pic that I have a ton of them and they dont bother any of my corals. I`ve had them for over ten years and gave hundreds away to other folks with no problems.

 

[bumblebee1976]

I haven't got any corals because the light supplied with the tank is not strong enough to support them. There are a few polyps but they haven't really opened up, I guess the tank is too new or light not sufficient for that - the only other thing the asterina may eat are the new mushrooms I think they might have come in on but so far all it is doing is grazing the bubble tube. I have heard from the links above that it is only certain types that feed on coral - mine is an algae grazer and so is probably safe even if I had corals. Sounds like you might have been unlucky though! Just wondered if they are from the white fluffy mould like substance or not? Any answers to previous questions on thread 7 greatly appreciated. Just tested my params and strangely they are all 0 (apart from pH which has risen slightly to 8.0). What the heck is going on?!! 4 weeks and no ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. If this is down to the biorb technology all I can say is don't knock it till you've tried it. So far I haven't lost anything living in the tank.

 

[bumblebee1976]

Sorry, my thread doesn't follow on MaiNpHRaMe, I must have been posting it as you and melosu were posting. I am really intrigued to know where these things grow from and what the fuzzy white stuff is etc.

 

[melosu58]

I`m pretty sure the fuzzy white stuff is a sponge. Just a common hitchiker that comes on LR. Your asternia stars came from the the same LR.

 

[bumblebee1976]

Oh, so it didn't come with the mushrooms then? Just a coincidence that I noticed it the day after getting them. Will the mushrooms grow okay if the light is not strong enough (i.e. coral strength)? The stems seems so tough, almost like a small twig, how will they attach to the rock? Also, do I need to feed the asterinas or the shrooms? Cannot believe my tank hasn't cycled yet - any thoughts? Thank you so much for your help and the pics are great.

 

[melosu58]

All post that had nothing to do with the original posters question were removed. Please remain on topic.

 

[melosu58]

I dont feed my mushrooms Ms BB. They get all they need from the lighting and water column. They do fine. They really dont need alot of lighting to survive but they do need adequate lighting to reproduce.

 

[bumblebee1976]

Thanks so much melosu you have been really helpful. So the mushrooms might attach but they are unlikely to multiply. The light I have is what's called an Intelligent LED - it's a 12V 50/60 Hz spec with constant moonlight, which makes the mushrooms go fluorescent in the dark!!! It doesn't sound all that strong at all tbh does it?! It's going to be a challenge to keep them on the rocks long enough to enable them to attach because I need to move the rocks to change the service kit regularly. The asterina seems to have disappeared for the moment - will he reproduce if he is a lone starfish in the tank? Also very keen to know your thoughts on why there isn't any cycling going on in my tank, not that I'm really complaining it's just that I thought it was an inevitable process! You seem very knowledgeable about this hobby and I am really grateful for your help.

 

[melosu58]

As far as the mushrooms they will attach to other rocks but it will need to be a low flow area where they wont be pushed around. They will grow and reproduce on their own. Does the bulb give you a wattage. WPG is an outdated way to explain lighting but it has it`s advantages when explaining to new aquarist. See if you can find a wattage number. The star will reproduce. As someone mentioned earlier they`ll just drop a leg and keep on going. Mine will be all over the glass in the morning and disapear by noon. As far as the cycle did you already use cured LR? If you did then you might not see a cycle.

 

[bumblebee1976]

mushrooms/asterina starfish

Thanks again for getting back to me. I can't find any more info on the light output so I will contact Reef One to find out. Others who keep marines in the biorb have said that the light is not strong enough to support corals. So far I have had trouble keeping the mushrooms still because I have had to move the rocks around (to haul out a crab), so the water movement knocks them off and they disappear into the holes in the rocks! I dread to think what it is going to be like changing the service kit, in terms of moving rocks etc.
I knew the asterina could reproduce by dropping a leg but I didn't know if a single one would survive in the tank.
The live rock was fully cycled when I got it and by the looks of the variety of livestock on it (including a rather large crab!) it must be very mature. So no ammonia/nitrites at all then? This is looking easier than tropical fishkeeping - everything is thriving!!