An SPS dying back...

[Bill S]

OK, folks, this guy's been doing GREAT since I got him from mikeyboy. Probably tripled in size in the 2 months I've had him. Yesterday, it was fine. Today, there's a large, well delineated dead area. Some tips are left, as well as about half of the total frag. As I picked up the rock he's mounted on, there was a tiny starfish on the rock. No bugs/critters that I can see. Any chance it was responsible? All else seems just fine.

[GaryP]

Mikey was having problems with montipora eating nudis. Can you see anything on it? They're pretty small.

[Bill S]

He showed me the nudis he had - and I don't SEE anything on it... I did dip it just in case... By the looks of it, it sure LOOKS like something is eating it, rather than it dying off.

[Jimnorris]

At this point (IMO) I would break off the dead area. Can the coral be removed from the tank?
Jim

[Bill S]

Yes. It can be removed. I'm thinking I'm going to give it a day or 2.

I've been watching bb since my first post and have done a little more research. I found SEVERAL articles about SPS eating Asterina. I THINK it's the only one in the tank. They articles say "look around and under your affected SPS and see if you find any tiny stars". Since there was one RIGHT THERE (about an inch from the affected area), SURE seems to me to be the guilty one! The affected area looks line-straight. Like a lawnmower.

[JimD]

That looks like nudis almost for sure, they should be fairly obvious, check the underside of the coral real close, also, do a Google image search for pics. Theyre almost impossible to eradicate entirely without removing all infested Montis. Ive read where some have had a certain ammount of success using kalk paste on the eggs and manual removal of the adults. There are certain species of stars that will in fact munch coral poyps also, Id get the one you have out asap and see if the coral comes back. Good luck!

[Bill S]

Sorry to say, the star was quickly dispatched. We'll see how things go. Mikey showed me his when I got the frags - so I'd know in case they showed up.

[Bill S]

DANG! I have very few of these starfish - I've only every seen ONE. Found ANOTHER ONE under this coral this morning - and more damage to the coral. I've read up on the nudis - and I REALLY don't think I have them. At this point, the sucker is about 80% gone. I have another frag of the same thing that's so far, doing well...

[hobogato]

start looking at your tank about an hour before the lights come on or an hour after they go off. you will find many more small stars. the jury is still out as to if they actually eat SPS, but i have found some very close to and actually on the same rock as SPS that have shown STN. I dont take any chances with them, i pull out every one i can find.

[GaryP]

Harlequin Shrimp will eat them. When they polish them off, just give them to someone else that has a lot of asterinas. If you are seeing one or two, you probably have a heck of a lot more then you thought.

I have hundreds of them in my tank and have not seen any problems with my SPS.

[Bill S]

Thanks, Ace. I've always thought these things were "cool", and I never had any. I've only EVER seen 1 in the tank, and now in 24 hours I've found TWO.

[GaryP]

They will come out and eat the film algae on the tank at night.

[Bill S]

OK, NOW they've had it. I see TWO MORE in the corner. But I can't get to them. Any ideas? If I take a syringe and squirt some Iodine next to them?

[Bill S]

Gary, thanks for the tip. From what I've read, there are just one or 2 species of them that feed on SPS.

[beareef19]

I had the same thing happen to one of my caps recently and it was because of another coral touching it. the other coral encrusted to the cap and the cap rtnd in about 4 days.


Barry

[GaryP]

OK, NOW they've had it. I see TWO MORE in the corner. But I can't get to them. Any ideas? If I take a syringe and squirt some Iodine next to them?
Just check your tank evdery AM before the lights come on and grab them as you see them. After a few days you will get most of them. They reproduce asexually by dropping a leg so it may take a long time to get all of them.

[Bill S]

I found 2 more - this all happened right when the lights came on at 10am in my office (home). I've made a spear from a dowel and a needle. Woohoo! I'm fishin' for starfish.

[GaryP]

Save them for dinner. They are nice and crunchy.