New Hitchhiker discovered...WOW!!!!/question?

[Alexa&Walt]

Well, we've had our 65gal reef tank for 11months now...and we're never CEASED TO BE AMAZED.

This morning, we're feeding the fish...and watching our growing colony of 8 Zoanthids catch the shrimp...when I notice something on the Rock behind.

Lo and hehold, it's a starfish...very small (about the size of a dime).

He/She's white in color....and slowly moved across the rock and out of sight.

Two questions:

1. Since he's white (and very immature) is there any way of knowing what kind of starfish he might be?

2. Will he harm my reef/corals or will my fish try and eat him. Apparently, they haven't thus far.

Thanks...

Alexa and Walt
Birmingham, Alabama

[taillonjohn]

did it have skinny long arms/tentacles? If yes, I say its a micro-serpert or brittle star. Its safe, it'll be part of the clean up crew

[Alexa&Walt]

It looks just like a normal white star fish...only very small.

Perhaps a sand sifter...

Do they change colors as they mature or is he gonna be white all his life?

[NirvanaFan]

sounds more like an asterina star to me.

[Alexa&Walt]

Good star fish or bad star fish?

[rbrusletto]

could be asterina also, does it look like this?

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0105/astrina.jpg

[NirvanaFan]

good. have a read here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/asterinafaqs.htm

[Alexa&Walt]

again, he/she's very small...about the size of a dime....but with 5 arms and very symetrical....

[Sk8r]

symmetrical is unusual and dime-sized would be 1/4 inch larger than most asterinas.

Knowing the habits of almost all stars, I'd catch that little guy and raise him to size in the sump where detritus will be his only food.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'd have to agree that finding new and unexpected things that come in with live rock is one of the coolest things about this hobby. I've got many things in my tank that I did not intentionally add, including many tiny brittle starfish.

It is also a drawback of certain kinds of live rock that have very little life on it, although I know some folks prefer that to avoid undesirable species of various sorts.

[camlov2]

Does anyone have a good link that shows the big brothers and sisters for the asterina? I have one in my tank that sounds nearly identical and though it was strange that it was getting so big. I would like to read up on the other types of stars that it might be.
Brian

[stevelkaneval]

Does the star have fat arms or are they really skinny with what look like needles comeing off the arm?

[Alexa&Walt]

Seriously, it looks just like a white star fish....only in miniture...

[NirvanaFan]

There are star fish with only 5 arms, some with 8, some even have as many as 16 arms. Some arms are short, fat, long, skinny, have thorns on them, or hair like things on them.

You're probably going to have to give us a better description for anyone to ID it. A picture would really help too.

[rustybucket145]

Saying it 'looks like a starfish' doesn't really say anything at all..... There are literally thousands of kinds of starfish. Unless you can give a better description or supply some pics there's really no way of anyone identifying it for you.

I'd lean toward Asterina right now. I have seen quite a few of them in my tank that have 5 legs and are very symmetrical. I doubt they stay symmetrical forever, I just see them at the right time.

[phenom5]

My vote would still be asterina, based on the description. I've had some in my tank that got pretty big before they split. Any way you can get a picture of it?

[hyrumbradshaw]

Yeah I had some of those in my tank and they even multiplied.....until I added my diamond goby, I caught him munching on one once and I have not seen any in a long while haha.

[ken123]

Does it look like the third one down all the way to the right?

Click here for ID. (http://www.melevsreef.com/id/crawls.html)

[Alexa&Walt]

I'll take a photo and send....I do have a diamond goby and he may eat him/them.

Dunno....