Please help

[john C]

Just noticed over 100 small starfish way more than that . What can i do

[Mr Cob]

If they are asterinas you can get harlequin shrimp..but they will eat all of your sea stars.

I just purchased a pair for the same reason.

[john C]

i think i got over 500 or more how many pair should i get the tank is a 240 i have seen them on some zoas do you think they hurting them

[jroescher]

I have a severe infestation of them also. They get on everything, but the only thing I've seen them eat is coralline.

[allan]

I think you're probably safe from them harming your zoas, and you probably have way more than five hundred. I just got a Harlequin to combat my astrias... as rob stated he got two. I wouldn't imagine that you need more than that. My approach was/is slow and steady. I'm actually hoping the shrimp doesn't eat them all so he has food. They won't eat anything else. After they're done with your stars you have to either start buying stars for them to eat or give/sell them away.

I rarely see my shrimp, and I've seen a steady decline in star activity.

The biggest problem with these stars is that they like to chew on coraline (they'll leave little white spots on your rock).

Good luck dude.

[Bill S]

Yup. Only harlequins. A couple should be fine. If you are patient, you may find someone here that has a pair they need to get rid of. I had 3 in my 215, and I had thousands. They took them out in a couple of months. Then started feeding them chocolate chips.

[CoryDude]

Then started feeding them chocolate chips.

Nestle's or Hershey's?

[txav8r]

Harlequins are the way to go. I had TONS of stars in my tank. The harleys took care of them in about 3 months. There are still a few in there but I can live with that.

[Mr Cob]

Just wanted to add that they can become a problem for your zoas....mine have gotten to the point that I see them on my zoas...actually on closed polyps and they are keeping some of my premium zoas closed. Not sure if they are eating them or just bothering them but I'm getting tired of pulling them off the zoas and my zoas seem to be bothered by them.

Off to pick the harlequins up :)

[Double-O-Zilch]

The biggest problem with these stars is that they like to chew on coraline (they'll leave little white spots on your rock).

That explains it Allan. I thought I had some kind of new white coraline in my tank. Still got more to learn! Problem is I wouldn't think I have enough to support a harlequin shrimp.

[hobogato]

once the harlequin shrimp have eliminated them, you have to buy starfish to feed the shrimp. most people get chocolate chip stars. i think bill used to get a starfish per month or so to feed the pair he had.

[Double-O-Zilch]

The big chocs, or do they come in a smaller size? The ones I always see would dominate my little 29 BC.

[hobogato]

yep, the big ones. those shrimp will flip them over as soon as you add them to the tank and drag them off to there own area. they they will eat them over the next week or so.

[Double-O-Zilch]

That's not bad for parameters? I ask cause my tank is so small. That definitely seems like something I'd love to watch. On a side note, I had one of them at Madison way before your time. Man I wish I was sixteen again for so many reasons than just to go through that class again.

[Mr Cob]

In regards to coraline... they have whiped half my coraline out and if anyone has seen my tank they know I have tons of purple....some rocks were completely cleaned of it.

I'm looking forward to keeping the pair I picked up today. They are HUGE! Like 2.5"...thinking that is about maximum adult size.

[Europhyllia]

yep, the big ones. those shrimp will flip them over as soon as you add them to the tank and drag them off to there own area. they they will eat them over the next week or so.
That sounds really gross.
I liked the picture of stangchris' fromia eating the asterina. Much less gruesome and drawn out.
I bet there has to be someone that's not wanting the shrimp after they're done with the asterinas and the shrimp could just be rotated amongst aquarists.

[hobogato]

haha - they have been know to eat a linkia in the wild one arm at a time, all the time feeding it so it will regenerate the arm that was eaten while they eat the next one!

[john C]

THANKS EVERYONE GUESS ILL BE MAKING ROUNDS TO THE LFS TOMMOROW

[Europhyllia]

haha - they have been know to eat a linkia in the wild one arm at a time, all the time feeding it so it will regenerate the arm that was eaten while they eat the next one!
that's just not right. (insert sick smilie here)

[Double-O-Zilch]

haha - they have been know to eat a linkia in the wild one arm at a time, all the time feeding it so it will regenerate the arm that was eaten while they eat the next one!

Like the government of the wild.

[Europhyllia]

by chance would you know what you are feeding it though?

[allan]

Like the government of the wild.
Lol, why DZ... You sound like a GS employee! ;-)