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View Full Version : Help! Little blue starfish invasion....


KyleO
07/17/2008, 11:21 AM
I have just recently noticed tiny little blue starfish in my display tank. I have removed about 20 so far.

I was wondering what was going on with one of my acros and now it appears that I have my answer. These little guys are basically the shape of a chocolate chip star (thick body, short legs) so I am assuming they are predatory and a danger to my coral and ???

I did not think to take pictures so I don't have any to show.

Two questions: is there a web site I can look at that has pics of pests and predators so I can identify these stars?

More importantly, what can I do other than just pulling them out (they are so small I am sure I am missing a bunch)?

Thanks for any help in this..........

smoothdog
07/17/2008, 11:54 AM
Sounds like asterina stars. These are generally reef safe but can reach plague proportions. If they cannot find enough of their prefferd food (algae, some types of worms) they may feed on coral. Here's a good link: http://www.3reef.com/forums/inverts/asterina-outbreak-43438.html

Sk8r
07/17/2008, 11:57 AM
blue? The only blue star I've ever seen are linckia---but you say the shape of a chocolate chip star. Are there a full set of arms on each?
If white/gray and with some stub or missing arms, they're asterinas. If not, they're something else, and a prime question for the invert forum. If they're not asterinas, and should be linckia, sheesh, they cost more than the corals, but linckia don't eat coral AFAIK.

roblack
07/17/2008, 12:55 PM
If you want to get rid of starfish, get a couple of Harlequin Shrimp and they will take care of the population for you. Bout as easy as it is going to get. HTH! Not all asterinas eat coral, my tank is full of them and haven't seen them munching on any corals, but I am watching them like a hawk.

KyleO
07/17/2008, 01:17 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12967412#post12967412 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by roblack
If you want to get rid of starfish, get a couple of Harlequin Shrimp and they will take care of the population for you. Bout as easy as it is going to get. HTH! Not all asterinas eat coral, my tank is full of them and haven't seen them munching on any corals, but I am watching them like a hawk.

Harlequins are a great idea but I have a few sand-sifting stars and a big blue star (I forget the name at the moment) that I am sure the Harlequins would go after before the Asterinas

smoothdog
07/17/2008, 01:22 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12967012#post12967012 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
blue? The only blue star I've ever seen are linckia---but you say the shape of a chocolate chip star. Are there a full set of arms on each?
If white/gray and with some stub or missing arms, they're asterinas. If not, they're something else, and a prime question for the invert forum. If they're not asterinas, and should be linckia, sheesh, they cost more than the corals, but linckia don't eat coral AFAIK.

There are some varieties of asterina that have colors other than white/grey/tan/brown. Generally the brightly colored varieties are from temperate waters but I've learned that there are very few absolutes in this hobby. Here is a pic of a colored one I found in my tank last year, unfortunatly I haven't see it since:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2301467034_8bc58a225c_o.jpg

smoothdog
07/17/2008, 01:34 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12967556#post12967556 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KyleO
Harlequins are a great idea but I have a few sand-sifting stars and a big blue star (I forget the name at the moment) that I am sure the Harlequins would go after before the Asterinas

You would also need to be prepared to buy starfish to feed them once they culled everything in the tank. Manual extraction and good nutrient export is generally recommended to control populations. They were probably just taking advantage of a food source that nothing else in the tank eats, now that the population has exploded they are running out of food and going after anything they can get. If you can pluck out as many as possible now you may find that they will reach a balance between available food and population and won't be a problem anymore.

KyleO
07/17/2008, 04:36 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12967671#post12967671 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smoothdog
You would also need to be prepared to buy starfish to feed them once they culled everything in the tank. Manual extraction and good nutrient export is generally recommended to control populations. They were probably just taking advantage of a food source that nothing else in the tank eats, now that the population has exploded they are running out of food and going after anything they can get. If you can pluck out as many as possible now you may find that they will reach a balance between available food and population and won't be a problem anymore.

Sounds reasonable............Thanks!

KyleO
07/17/2008, 04:38 PM
Smoothdog,

thanks for posting the pic.............this is exactly what I am seeing in my tank (size and color)

Wrench
07/17/2008, 07:14 PM
I have several varieties in my tank. The tan ones, which seem harmless. Then there are some gray and light blue ones which I catch nibbling on corals, especially zoanthids. I've been getting rid of them by just going in after the lights have been off for a while and plucking them off of the corals and the glass. They are nocturnal so this is the best time to hunt them down.