Reef nutrition

Thinking outloud about Asterina Starfish

Raddogz

Raddogz

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Okay - I know we've talked about it to death.

After seeing mystery asterina-type starfish on one of Arnold's sps mini colony - it was all chewed up from the base up. I'm beginning to think maybe asterina's that can eat zoas can also start mowing down sps as well.

I've been reading a few threads on RC

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1062083&highlight=starfish+and+sps

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9105799&highlight=starfish+and+sps#post9105799

Granted I haven't gone through this myself but is maybe one other pest that in great numbers can just wreak havoc in our tanks.

Bryan if you're reading go home and check for asterina's
 
Of course there are different species -

This one,

asterina.jpg


From one of the links looks different than the ones that I have.
 
took that into account as well. I have them had a ton actually but they are pretty well erridicated thanks to my harlequin. though I never noticed any near any of my SPS colonies mostly just on the glass.
 
I have a bunch on my glass, only 2 on the dead part of the one SPS that is having problems. I never seen one on the live part any of SPS I have or Zoos or LPS. I took the 2 stars out of the tank on the SPS, but I think they are eating the algae growing on the dead part. They seem to like eating coralline too.
 
Mine are the white or gray ones....no red color at all. I have a baby Harq. Shrimp that I have been feeding them too.
 
I've got loads of them. I've frequently seen them cruise round zoa with no damage. One time, quite a while back, I had one that was closed over a Zoa... I flicked him off (dumb move cos I lost him) and found he'd eaten the top right off the zoa and one next to it. I thought maybe it was already dying or something... two days later I find a very similar looking star on another colony and I find the same thing... three topped zoas with him on one of th Zoa. I removed it, and have never had the same problem even though I have countless other astreinas.

It did have a kind of orange-red color. The Zoa, all grew back from the stumps so no harm done.

-Adrian

p.s. never seen them on anything else except an sps but there was no damage that I could see.
 
[quote author=northbay-reefer link=topic=3410.msg38692#msg38692 date=1206401277]
I saw them eat my lps so they are trouble.
[/quote]

I think we have to be careful with blanket statements like this. :D
There are different species of asterina, and the most common ones don't hurt corals at all. Broad brush posts can fuel people to do rash things and worry about stuff they don't necessarily have to worry about.
 
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