Zoanthid Eating Starfish

[Jamie]

I've recently been keeping a close eye on a small (smaller than a dime)white starfish in my tank. He is one of the type that you would commonly see in live sand. Well, over the last week or two, it's been crawling over my pink zoas. At first I thought he was just transiting, but now I think he's actually munching away as they are "disappearing". Has anyone experienced this as well. I never thought a star would want to eat my zoas.

R, Jamie

[Third Coast Tropical]

Depending on the species of star, Yes they can and will eat corals......brittle stars are known culprits

[Mr Cob]

Sounds like an Asterina Starfish. SOme people have No problems with them and others do. I have heard of these munching on corals...montis and zoas. I have never had a problem with them because I always get rid of them before they have a chance to become a problem.

[Jamie]

Yep, it's an aterina. I pulled him off a few minutes ago and lo and behold a half eaten zoa was underneath him. Needless to say, I moved the star to my sump...but he did his damage.

[Mr Cob]

Great catch! These guys multiply super fast. It's awesome to find them while they are one or few. Those of us that stare at our tanks for countless hours normally do not have a problem finding them :) before they multiply into numbers that can cause a problem.

[Mr Cob]

I think the three times I have had them it was on frag swapping. I really need to "dip" but some times I'm just in such a hurry that I end up skipping crucial steps of basic reef keeping husbandry.

[Jamie]

My zoas are OK....just a few less in numbers. Here's a pic of the damage. The half eaten zoanthid is in the center of the pic.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk255/jcarabin/DSC00473.jpg

[JoshOdphi]

yea i have them in my tank as well and have never had a problem with them....like mr cob said...u can dip ur zoos to get any hitch hikers off.....i bought some frags which i didnt acclimate or dip and ended up battling zoo eating nudibranchs.....i finally got em under control but they did do a good share of damage....thas y now i dip everything...jus in case

[corkyGramma]

Those of us that stare at our tanks for countless hours normally do not have a problem finding them :).
LOL, YEAH WE MAKE GOOD USE OF THOSE NIGHTLY RESTROOM TRIPS. "(HIM) WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"..."(ME)NOTHING, JUST GO BACK TO BED":hypnotyized:

[Mr Cob]

That's funny and so true!!! I caught my wife in there gazing at the corals under the simulated moonlights one time during a "nightly restroom trip"... I was like "uh huh..."

[JoshOdphi]

...i do tha same...wut can i say...its very interesting...

[jroescher]

Don't put them in your sump!!! Those little stars will multiply, and they will migrate back into your tank. Going through a pump and shredding them will only make bigger stars into lots of little stars. And they can also travel back up through your drains.

[reefer man]

IVE HAD A FEW THAT I THREW IN MY SUMP AND LATER ON SEE THEM BACK IN MY TANK

[JoshOdphi]

dang...have yall really had that much of a problem with them?

[profntbtr]

yes they spread like herpes, and ate all of my high end zoas, goodbye RPE's goodbye AOG's, goodbye pretty blue's, goodbye dragon eyes, until i got a harlequin skrimp, then it was goodbye interlopers

[JoshOdphi]

man yea i know they spread have in my 37 and 110...but theyve never been a problem...with my zoos...now nudibranchs...i bought some frags which i didnt dip cuz i was tired from the drive to get em..a couple days later they spread and my zoos paid tha price....finally i got em taken care of ...but them starfishes have never hurt my zoos...

[RICKY81]

Those of us that stare at our tanks for countless hours normally do not have a problem finding them :) before they multiply into numbers that can cause a problem.

lol,.... yeah same here, always looking at the tank, at nights, morning upon awakening, and upon getting home. just can't resist at not looking at it, and will also stare at it for hours to see what kind of creatures do come out...

[jroescher]

My stars never bothered my corals that I could tell, BUT THEY ATE ALL THE CORRALINE!!! Every bit of it! The Harlequins didn't put a dent in them, not sure if they ate any at all. They passed after several months.

[Jamie]

Yeah, the stars have always just been a part of my clean up crew. I was surprised to see this guy on my zoas. He's the first that has ever given me a problem.

[Paul28]

I didt even think of that buying a harlequin skrimp i pick 5 or more a day out of my tank i hate the little pos star fish thay eat everything and i have alot of them :(

[JoshOdphi]

yea they have eaten my coraline...well some of it...but other than that no problem

[corkyGramma]

Don't put them in your sump!!! Those little stars will multiply, and they will migrate back into your tank. Going through a pump and shredding them will only make bigger stars into lots of little stars. And they can also travel back up through your drains.
:bigsmile: Like mickey mouse in Fantasia!

[corkyGramma]

That's funny and so true!!! I caught my wife in there gazing at the corals under the simulated moonlights one time during a "nightly restroom trip"... I was like "uh huh..."
Right...that's how I got the boyfriend to get over the sticker shock of his tank! :sarcastic: "uh huh, now do you think its too much!" Its a rewarding hobby. :p