Ah...asterina starfish

[PurplePolyp]

These little guys are crazy. Every time I do a water change, I'll suction a few out. I found out what happens if you don't get rid of a few. As I'm sitting here staring at my tank today, I count 32 of these little guys. And I know there are plenty I can't see. I guess I'll siphon some out with my water change today. Does anyone else have these critters or am I the only one.

 

[Spicemonkey]

I have not found any in my tank...yet. Lol
they look so cute but i believe i was warned against them at one time

I discovered copepods and even more recently amphipods as late as 6 months after initial setup. I do have TONS of white brittle stars tho

 

[PurplePolyp]

I was told there wasn't much you could do other than suction some out when you do water changes. I could buy something that eats starfish but I have a black brittle star and a sand sifter that need to live. My black brittle star is about 10" in diameter now!

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I am battling them too... About 10 a day I pull out, sometimes up to 25. I'm considering a Harlequin shrimp. Google it... They eat starfish so if you have a pet star it wouldn't work.

 

[Jbaygurl78745]

I'm getting a harlequin shrimp Fri. They will go threw the little white stars pretty quick so you would have to buy him a star every cpl weeks. We will be feeding our chocolate chip stars once he rids the little white guys.

 

[melosu58]

I have hundreds in my tank. I just leave them there. All they do is eat trash off the glass.

 

[PurplePolyp]

I am on my 3rd jug of a 20 gallon change. I pulled out about 25 or 30. I still see some in there but I'm tired of going after them. Lol

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I would leave them but they eat my coralline 8-(

 

[Jbaygurl78745]

I would leave them but they eat my coralline 8-(

If you don't mind having to feed a harlequin shrimp after it rids the white guys I'd say go for one.

 

[jsmith]

I have hundreds in my tank. I just leave them there. All they do is eat trash off the glass.

Amen! I prolly have a hundred on my glass right now... who care free cuc if ya ask me!

 

[Ericwm]

I have them too. They clean my glass pretty well and it is cool to watch them split. I considered getting a bumble bee harlequin once they get out of hand because I have read they are easier to feed other food to besides stars, not nearly as cool though.

 

[donker]

I had a big wave of them at one point but now there's only a handful. Actually I've had waves of several different hitchhiker critters over the years. Not sure what caused them to recede but it wasn't anything I did willfully.

 

[Schism]

I have hundreds in my tank. I just leave them there. All they do is eat trash off the glass.

Same here. They will only overpopulate if they have a constant algae supply. Keeping your glass clean will probably do more for controlling numbers then siphoning them out will.

 

[PurplePolyp]

Ah...as many as I siphoned out yesterday, I count about 15 today. Lol.