Asterina stars?

[reeferRob]

I have started noticing mre and more of them little white odd legged stars, I've heard they eat sps? If so I also heard there was a natural control. line a 6 line wrasse or something??


Thanks

[reeferRob]

Only certain species attack corals. I have tons in my system and as far as I can tell they don't hurt anything. The only natural predator I can think of would be Harlequin shrimp.

Oh cool I've been wating to get one of them anyway

[MattK]

I unfortunately had the ones that eat coral, not a sps though. I noticed a small spot was gone in the middle of my GSP. Three days later I caught it in the act! Now my GPS looks like a balding man. Whenever I see them I pull them out. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.

[jrhein]

I have some that start to eat my zoos and I would pull them off and the whole colony would start to die off so I would have to frag it out to save it. Really weird but that is what I have contributed the loss of zoos here lately.

[DaBird47]

I agree...I had the same thing happen with these "harmless" little fellers...zoo eaters...

[jrhein]

So how do we get rid of them? Any sugesstions???

[caferacermike]

I had a problem with some of my SPS. They would look awesome the day before, full polyp extension in the morning before I left, and white as a ghost by the time I got home. I couldn't figure it. One day I came home to an SPS half gone and saw 2 of those stars on it. You bet I quickly began pulling any of them out that I saw. I just glanced in my tank a few times a night for about a week, pulling any out I saw by hand. Seriously reduced the numbers. I had a green choris wrasse that ate stuff like that but I wouldn't recommend one for a reef as I soon found it eating my expensive clams.

[reeferRob]

WOW yeah I've been finding more and more lately although I am really only having problems w 2 corals, a green milli that hasn't opened since I got it from J_G, and a red polyp purple monti that hasn't opened in 3 days or 4. I dunno I've never seen them on my corals

Well thanks for the input, I think I need to just start picking them out so as not to get overrun ;)

Thanks again

[gcantu]

Well I purchased four (4) harlequin shrimp because my tank was infested with them and now, two months later, they have been reduced to minimal numbers. The harlequins have really done a number on them.

[Ram_Puppy]

how are you going to feed the harlequins once the stars are gone?

time to set up a culture!!

[gcantu]

how are you going to feed the harlequins once the stars are gone?

time to set up a culture!!

I have more of those babies in my sumpt so all I have to do is pick them and dump them into the main tank where the harlequins hang out. ;)

[mathias]

wow if you have that many where you can go into your sump and just pull them out.... thats pretty amazing.... I truly think 4 of the shrimp was over kill since later you will have to supply them with food.... but I guess you can always sell them as well...

[Ram_Puppy]

harlequins are so beautiful... i like the yellow bumblebee looking ones too. sad that they are so demanding... maybe someday I will be able to set up an asternia culture and have some.