Asterna Starfish: Friend or Foe?

[Reefer4ever]

So I have found an asterna starfish in my tank. What do you all think of them? Give your stories if you have ever had them, what you have done, AND what they have done. Thanks in advance for the input!

[txg8gxp]

They can become a pain, and over take a tank. I don't think there that big of a deal though, aslong as you don't have tons. I know a few people have had to get rid of them, hopefully they can add some info.

[Reefer4ever]

Thanks for the input. I have found 1 so far.

[txav8r]

Nightly harvest from when I had an outbreak. I pulled about this many a night out for almost a month until I gave up and got a Harlequin Shrimp.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii234/joat_mon_3/43ba59f2.jpg

[txg8gxp]

I have had a few in my biocube and never had an issue. Some times they get out of hand for some people though.

[Reefer4ever]

I like harlequin shrimp. How would it do in a tank with the following livestock:

flame angel
percula clown(kind of mean to hands)
maroon clown(hosts my hand when in the tank AKA very sweet to every thing)
coral banded shrimp
cerith/nerite/astrea/nassarius snails
mini bristle starfish
blue reef chromis
bicolor blenny
randalls shrimp goby paired with tiger pistol shrimp
assorted zoas and palys
green/red/striped shroms
ricordea shrooms
yuma shrooms
kenya tree
gren plate coral
neon montipora spongodes
orange montipora capricornus
purple montipora capricornus
orange montipora digitata
neon green acropora
hollywood stunner chalice
pink birdsnest
ORA german blue digitata
GIANT anemone
torch coral
green star polyps
sun coral
acanthastrea regularis

That is it. This is everything i have(or getting this weekend). So is it harlequin shrimp ready or are there too many things that can go wrong? I know they will also eat mini bristle starfish. Discuss!!!

[Big_Pun]

how big is your tank a harlequin is goin to need lots of starfish to survive. I think you should chill and let things take it's course , other method I happen to notice is I have a plate starfish that has cut population down i haven't seen as many since
putting it in my tank

[Gseclipse02]

I have some in my tank. I try to take them out when I see them. They take over the tank like crazy and they eat my coraline. I have caught a couple eating the "color" off my SPS (it seemed like they were also eating my zoa's). Try getting a harlequin shrimp if you have a problem. However, I've tried it and it didn't work out so well. He stayed in a rock for weeks and eventually got eaten by the wrasse. ----Vic----

[Reefer4ever]

im buying the setup from taylor(gonereefing) and he has a TON of these guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This one is a hitchhiker i got from his 20g when he gave me his kenya for free cuz it grows too fast and everywhere. When i get the tank, its going back in! lol I am getting his 20g tank and it has billions of these guys! That might have been a bit of an exaggeration! There is more like 2000 of these guys in there. I think the harlequin would not go hungry. Here is my dilemma. I am getting the tank saturday and i want to know if i should try to take out as many as possible, or leave them in and get a harlequin shrimp?

[Big_Pun]

it could work, and if it does run out of food u can buy chocolate chip starfish. that's a big list of coral and livestock, tank is pretty full. can't wait to see pics

[Reefer4ever]

I do plan on getting rid of the bi-color blenny because he jumped out of my current tank and do not want him to jump out of this tank when i am not there to save him. He has grown on me though. He has such a personality.

[Reefer4ever]

im not getting one. ive decided its a waste of money. just going to manually remove at least 90% of them as i dont mind a few.

[phrog]

I've a collection of very cool looking blue ones and haven't had any issues until BigBird gave me some nice pink zoas. I don't have any pink zoas now and my wife's chocolate chip starfish has enjoyed a few snacks. The rest of my zoas/palys have never been touched.

[ErikH]

foe.

[Mr Cob]

So I have found an asterna starfish in my tank. What do you all think of them? Give your stories if you have ever had them, what you have done, AND what they have done. Thanks in advance for the input!

FOE!

They belong in a species specific tank only in my opinion...lol, that would be actually kind of cool.

Man...I started with one and within a few months I had hundreds...thousands...it's all the same...they were everywhere. I bought a large pair of harlequins and they annihilated them in a about 2 months. I no longer have the harlequins and I saw an asterina yesterday that I quickly removed! dabdarnit!

So.... FOE!

Why foe? Because they went to town on my coralline an started annoying my zoas...not sure if they were munching them, I think they were just annoying them by being there and they stayed closed.