Do starfish eat coral?

[clutchcargo]

Do starfish eat coral?
I've got a number of stony corals that seem to quickly be getting bald spots. My porites went from beautiful to nearly dead in about a month. One thing I notice is there are starfish living in the nooks and crannies of these corals. The water parameters haven't changed in 2 years but I do have an explosion of tiny starfish (1 1/4" or less arm to arm). Is it possible that these starfish are eating my coral?

[SuperNerd]

some do. yours may be just moving through but to be sure, got a pic?

[clutchcargo]

Hopefully these are good enough. It seems like all my coral is infested with starfish. I didn't think they would do any damage, but I think aI may be wrong. You can't even tell that the second image is porites but there is still a small amount of flesh left.

http://www.diver-x.com/images/acro_SM.jpg
http://www.diver-x.com/images/PORITES_SM.jpg

[dean11111]

I am in the same boat. My green slimer type acro has bald spots and after Pro-coral cure dips the only thing that i have found that come off are tiny 2-8mm starfishes. They have been getting tinier. I dont know if they are eating it exactly but they are aggrevating it

[SuperNerd]

Oh no those are micro brittlestars (I don't know their exact name off the top of my head). I have them all over my tank too and most of my corals are sps. Those are not damaging the corals. I would check your parameters and go from there. (Lights- when was the last time you changed the bulb and how far away from the lights is the surface of the water, how deep is the tank, and how far away from the surface of the water are those corals. Water- when was the last time you did a water change. Elements- what readings do you have for these: Ca, Alk, Mg, S.G., temp, Ammonia, Nitrates, Phosphates)