Leave Them Be or Killing Spree: How would you respond to seeing Asterina Starfish in your tank?

[AlyciaMarie]

How can you look at those starfish in their tiny little compound eyes and ruin their whole life? ...I'll tell you how: Harlequin Shrimp! Believe it or not, some people may have very different opinions on whether these guys should be shown a tank eviction notice or not. But how do you feel about them?

How would you respond to seeing Asterina Starfish in your tank? Share your experiences with these little guys!

 

[InvaderJim]

I usually fish as many out as I can when doing tank maintenance. I can't keep zoa's in my tank because those guys mow them down in a matter of days.

 

[dakoop]

They multiply too fast for my liking so they get evicted

 

[exnisstech]

I voted other. Ussualy the population peaks then the dwindles without intervention in my tanks but there have been times I'll scrape them off the glass with a net.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

 

[Paul B]

At night my front glass looks like the Andrometer Galaxy because I have so many of them. I like them. Free livestock. Of course I have thousands of brittle stars which I also like but they clog my pumps.

 

[threebuoys]

Asterinas will overwhelm a tank if not controlled. When they first appear, they are a novelty. Then they are everywhere. In the morning before the lights come on, I scrape them off the glass using a dip net, often collecting ten or twenty with one scoop. Recently, I bought two harlequin shrimp to help my battle. Impossible to completely irradicate because some will make it to the inside of the overflows and to the sump. After my last cleaning and the addition of the shrimp, I see a noticeable reduction of the number in the tank.

 

[KrisReef]

At night my front glass looks like the Andrometer Galaxy because I have so many of them. I like them. Free livestock. Of course I have thousands of brittle stars which I also like but they clog my pumps.

I like Harlequin shrimps. They are so beautiful and the eat stars all day and night.

They should have called them Black Hole Shrimp?

 

[BeanAnimal]

Asterinas will overwhelm a tank if not controlled. When they first appear, they are a novelty. Then they are everywhere. In the morning before the lights come on, I scrape them off the glass using a dip net, often collecting ten or twenty with one scoop. Recently, I bought two harlequin shrimp to help my battle. Impossible to completely irradicate because some will make it to the inside of the overflows and to the sump. After my last cleaning and the addition of the shrimp, I see a noticeable reduction of the number in the tank.

So here is the rub...

There are in the neighborhood of 150 species in 25 genera of starfish in the Asterinidae family.

A scant few may eat coral but most don't. While it may be hard to tell many of them apart with the naked eye, most are not coral eaters and in fact are beneficial algae eaters and detrivores.

If you don't see them eating coral, then they are not a problem. If they are eating coral, then clearly you have an issue. Proliferation of the former is not a problem and part of the cleanup crew. Proliferation of the later is certainly a problem but eradication may be futile, as their food is in gluttonous supply.

 

[threebuoys]

So here is the rub...

There are un the neighborhood of 150 species in 25 genera starfish in the Asterinidae family.

A scant few may eat coral but most don't. While it may be hard to tell many of them apart with the naked eye, most are not coral eaters and in fact are beneficial algae eaters and detrivores.

If you don't see them eating coral, then they are not a problem. If they are eating coral, then clearly you have an issue. Proliferation of the former is not a problem and part of the cleanup crew. Proliferation of the later is certainly a problem but eradication may be futile, as their food is in gluttonous supply.

I originally let them run amok in hopes they would be algae eaters and detrivores. For whatever reason, even with a massive population, they never seemed to help the tank very much. I occasionally saw them in soft corals, but I can't swear they ate them. Just way too many of them interfering with the view ,getting stuck in flow pumps, getting stuck in overflow weirs, etc.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

have a panic attack- sike!

 

[radiata]

I'd buy (another) Naroda Starfish. They eat Asterinas.

 

[boacvh]

I actually have 2 different experiences. First time I got them, they would eat my zoa frags. I got a harlequin and solved that problem. After my upgrade I have them again, however, now they don't touch any corals, so now I love them and let them be. Free CUC. I have hundreds of them. I imagine they are just 2 different species that just look very similar? Not sure why now they won't touch anything

 

[vlangel]

I leave them be. In the 25 years that I have had reef tanks they have never been a problem.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Depends on the tank. In my sps tanks they are just an eyesore, but mostly harmless and beneficial. When they reach plague proportions I hire a harlequin shrimp temporarily. In my frag tanks, they are all plucked out as I see them. I don’t want them on the frags or possibly eating zoas.

 

[RedReefer]

Eviction time!

 

[Borat]

this thread is dumb

cant even make a joke out of it..

 

[BeanAnimal]

I actually have 2 different experiences. First time I got them, they would eat my zoa frags. I got a harlequin and solved that problem. After my upgrade I have them again, however, now they don't touch any corals, so now I love them and let them be. Free CUC. I have hundreds of them. I imagine they are just 2 different species that just look very similar? Not sure why now they won't touch anything

Yes, more than likely.

 

[Uncle99]

I Just don’t let them get annoying.
When they are easy to pick, I pick, once a month use a vacum on them. Keeps them, but, at low numbers.

 

[RUKelly]

I thought they were a novelty, then their numbers grew, and grew, and grew…. I did the dip net glass scrapping every morning, just got tired of it. Got 2 harlequin shrimps and solved that problem. New problem is now I have to feed the shrimps…..I’ve bought linkas, and chocochips and they eat on them for a long time. Those shrimps are a beautiful addition to my reef tank.