Infestation

[Gilbert]

I have an infestation of those little star fish.
Is a harlequin shrimp the only answer to getting rid of them?
Picking them out by hand is out of the question, cause there is just to many.
If the shrimp is the only cure, is it best to get a pair or will 1 due for a 55gallon?

Thanks in advance

[Gseclipse02]

there is another starfish that will eat them but i think it would be a really slow process

[txav8r]

Welcome to the club. I just added two harlequins in hopes of getting rid of the asterina stars. I have more than you can imagin. I'll let you know how it goes.

[Gilbert]

I think i need something a little faster cause i have let this go on to long.
I mean they are everywhere!
There's not a spot in my tank where you cant find them.
People usually dont notice them cause they blend in but i do and the problen is that they are starting to munch on zoas.

[Gilbert]

Welcome to the club. I just added two harlequins in hopes of getting rid of the asterina stars. I have more than you can imagin. I'll let you know how it goes.

When did you put them in?
Where did you get them from?
How much was each one?

[Gseclipse02]

well i have one that I'm looking to get rid of asap pm me if interested

[hobogato]

maybe we could add harlequin shrimp to the equipment bank :)

[Gilbert]

That would be nice...

[txav8r]

When did you put them in?
Where did you get them from?
How much was each one?


I put them in on black Friday. Haven't seen them since. Hopefully they are in the rockwork eating away.
I got them from Reefs2U during the sale. Don't remember the exact price but it was under $20 each. Gabe and Greatwhite who are both sponsors offered to order them for me but these were in stock.

[Bill S]

They WILL work on these stars. I had 10s of thousands. I'd start with just 1. They work surprisingly quickly on them.

[Gilbert]

My girlfriend doesn't like me to physically kill them so when ever i pull them out she throws them in the sump.
Do you think that they can make it back to the display?
They would have to go up the overflow or through the return pump just to get back to the display.

[d3rryc]

Yep, I put ONE in my 140-gal to get rid of mine. They were turning my rock work white from eating all the corraline. Give ONE harlequin about a month in a 55-gal. Then, honestly, I'd start to worry about it getting enough food.

[txav8r]

I have them in the display and the sump so I would guess that they can get back to the display from your sump.

[hobogato]

yes, and likely their arms would get torn off in the process of going thru the return pump. therefore, one in the sump could lead to 5 to 7 in the display when each arm grows into a new specimen (which can happen with aterina stars)


My girlfriend doesn't like me to physically kill them so when ever i pull them out she throws them in the sump.
Do you think that they can make it back to the display?
They would have to go up the overflow or through the return pump just to get back to the display.

[swiatrek]

I got that harlequin from gseclipse02 today, and after finally getting him in my tank, he did what I have read they do and just hit the rock work and disappeared. After about an hour or so, he reappeared and was just hanging out on a rock. Looked closer and noticed he already caught an asterina starfish and was munching down. Very cool to watch.

[firecoral3msd]

You could try and get bongo shrimp. They eat these stars plus mini brittle stars. Interesting looking shrimp too. www.liveaquaria.com in the divers den inverts section they ocationally have these shrimp.

http://glassbox-design.com/2008/bongo-shrimp-phyllognathia-ceratophthalma/


Or you could just pluck them out like I did. It took a couple of months but now they are all gone.

[Gilbert]

Day one:
I through 2 harliquin shrimp in the tank today, that i picked up from ed aquatics.
The only down side is that they are VERY small.
Like 1" in size.
Guess i'll just wait to see what happens

[Gilbert]

Yep, I put ONE in my 140-gal to get rid of mine. They were turning my rock work white from eating all the corraline. Give ONE harlequin about a month in a 55-gal. Then, honestly, I'd start to worry about it getting enough food.

Do they really eat coraline algae???:hypnotyized:

[jroescher]

Do they really eat coraline algae???:hypnotyized:

Harlequins sole diet is starfish. Nothing else. Without them they will starve to death. But I think they will eat just about any starfish, including serpents and brittles. Once the starfish are gone, you have to buy more for them. Most people use Chocolate Chips.

[ShAgMaN]

Everything I've read says serpents/brittles are fine. They aren't true sea stars and move with their legs instead of their tube feet. Only reason harlequins can eat stars is because the stars freeze and essentially give up. Wussies...JK!

[jroescher]

Mine ate one of my brittles. They stunned him so he couldn't move and ate the middle of him. I would separate them to opposite ends of the tank, and by the end of the day they would be back on him.

[Gilbert]

Harlequins sole diet is starfish. Nothing else. Without them they will starve to death. But I think they will eat just about any starfish, including serpents and brittles. Once the starfish are gone, you have to buy more for them. Most people use Chocolate Chips.

i was asking if the starfish eat the coraline...

[txav8r]

They definitely eat the Coraline.

[Gilbert]

They definitely eat the Coraline.

ok so thats why i dont have coraline... I thought something was wrong im my tank.

[RayAllen]

its funny you posted this because I was going to ask the same question. I need to get myself a harlequin to eat mine. They are multipling fast.

[Gilbert]

Heck yeah they multiply fast
Alot of people that see my tank dont notice them until i start to point them out and then they are like "f*** thats alot"
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk89/Gilbert1606/DSC01962.jpg
now after i point some out
http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk89/Gilbert1606/starfish.jpg

[Gilbert]

And most of the other rocks are worse, i just happen to have this pic availible

[txav8r]

Welcome to my world.

[RayAllen]

My little BC29 is starting to look like that.

[fjr_wertheimber]

Yeah, harlequins rock at eating the stupid little stars. I put a mated pair in my old cube and they cleaned it right up... until the stupid emerald crab killed and ate both harlequins. AARGGHH! :at_wits_end:

[ShAgMaN]

Heeh, I think all this frag trading has spread this around...kinda like VD or something.

A bad case of the crabs... I mean stars. Gross LOL.

Mine has blown up yet...I'm getting something fast after hearing these horror stories.

[lewk]

I think i need something a little faster cause i have let this go on to long.
I mean they are everywhere!
There's not a spot in my tank where you cant find them.
People usually dont notice them cause they blend in but i do and the problen is that they are starting to munch on zoas.

Have you witnessed them actively eating your zoas? I've got some zoa eaters in my tank I've been trying to track down for a while now...

[Europhyllia]

Heeh, I think all this frag trading has spread this around...kinda like VD or something.

A bad case of the crabs... I mean stars. Gross LOL.

Mine has blown up yet...I'm getting something fast after hearing these horror stories.
It's Rob Cob's fault for sure...

I am proud to see y'all didn't get it from me. Not a single asterina in my tank :angel:
I am intrigued with them as Fromia snacks though. Wish there was a way to keep them in a little container and just feed them to the fromia like potato chips...

[txav8r]

Lol! I don't think Rob has a single one in his tank.
I, on the other hand have tons. In my defence, I always try to warn people to pick them off if I give them frags.

[Europhyllia]

Lol! I don't think Rob has a single one in his tank.
I, on the other hand have tons. In my defence, I always try to warn people to pick them off if I give them frags.

I meant because the frag exchange is his 'baby'.

[Gilbert]

Have you witnessed them actively eating your zoas? I've got some zoa eaters in my tank I've been trying to track down for a while now...

yes i have seen them eating my zoas, or atleast thats what i summe they are doing.
Ill notice a zoa or paly closed and once i get closer to check it out there is a starfish gripped on it.

[sampsonndelila]

I have a few, but I have always had a few. I think something is eating them. It must be. If I put a harliquin shrimp in my tank the trigger would eat him I think.

[Jordan N.]

Out of curiosity, why is everyone so intent on killing the little stars? Are you actually seeing a negative impact from them beyond the shear numbers? Everything I read makes all but a few species sound like a harmless part of the clean up crew.

It seems like their populations would natural reach an equilibrium with the food available --And i'll welcome anything that eats extra food in my aquarium.

Anyone willing to give me a few Asterina Stars? :angel:

-Jordan N.

[txav8r]

You can have all of them you want!! Your brother is swinging by the house soon. I'd be glad to send some with him.

The reason I want them gone is because the eat all of the coraline algae off of the rocks. If I could find a way to teach them to only eat off of the glass I would be in heaven!!

[ShAgMaN]

You can have all of them you want!! Your brother is swinging by the house soon. I'd be glad to send some with him.

The reason I want them gone is because the eat all of the coraline algae off of the rocks. If I could find a way to teach them to only eat off of the glass I would be in heaven!!

Reason I'm getting rid of them (Harlequin) is I don't wanna go through what you are. Plus I have enough scavengers to eat all the other stuff.

[Gseclipse02]

Out of curiosity, why is everyone so intent on killing the little stars? Are you actually seeing a negative impact from them beyond the shear numbers? Everything I read makes all but a few species sound like a harmless part of the clean up crew.

It seems like their populations would natural reach an equilibrium with the food available --And i'll welcome anything that eats extra food in my aquarium.

Anyone willing to give me a few Asterina Stars? :angel:

-Jordan N.


i lost a 100$ zoa frag to them i saw 3 of them eating the zoas

[ShAgMaN]

i lost a 100$ zoa frag to them i saw 3 of them eating the zoas

Sucks...at least they got taste. JK! Sorry.

[Gseclipse02]

Sucks...at least they got taste. JK! Sorry.


lol its cool .. it happens ...

[acropoorer]

i lost a 100$ zoa frag to them i saw 3 of them eating the zoas
I'd look closer for something else eating your zoa frags, I've always had a population of these pests (4 years) and never lost a zoa. I've seen them on corals, along with brittle stars, but the corals are still there. None missing.
I recently added a new copperbanded butterfly and he is eating Zoa's. My old one never touched them, but I can't get this guy to eat frozen. So far he has left my lps alone.

Maybe if the stars ran out of coraline...

[Gseclipse02]

the only reason i notice them " eating" was due to it being a newer frag... i have read that certain species of them will eat the zoa's/ palys but not all ..

[Gilbert]

Day 9:
I think i might be noticing a difference in my tank but im pretty sure im wrong.
I have only noticed 1 of the shrimps for the pass 3 night always in the same place.
Im still scraping about 15-20 starfish off my glass about every other day.
Guess ill just keep hoping for the best