ID please

[donnamc68]

I noticed this on my rock. looks like some sort of starfish? Is this a good starfish or should I get it out of my tank?

<a href="http://s50.photobucket.com/user/blueeeyes68/media/starfish_zpskorcvidf.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f343/blueeeyes68/starfish_zpskorcvidf.png" border="0" alt=" photo starfish_zpskorcvidf.png"/></a>

[rockhead51]

Asterina starfish. Asterina is a genus, though, there are tons of species- most benign but some that eat coral. The problem is there is no way to tell them apart (until you catch them munching on coral). You can leave em be, pick em out, or get Harlequin Shrimp (which eat them). They can multiply prolifically, but not always. Big debates in the reefing game about what-if anything- needs to be done with these guys...

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[donnamc68]

Thank you! at first I used a tweezer and took him off rock and I knew he wasn't a normal kind of starfish lol I'll leave him be and I'll keep an eye out for any problems. Thanks again :)

[ReefWreak]

hehehe if you've seen one, prepare for the hoard. They shouldn't be a problem though, as they very rarely are the actual coral eating ones.

I bought 2-3 corals from someone that had them growing all over his tank. I knew what the risk was, but since I didn't have a quarantine, I just picked them off of all of the corals I bought, and threw away the rocks they came on, and did as much as I could to keep them out. Then I saw one. Now I have a million. It bothered me at first, but at the end of the day, they're not really bothering anything, so I don't care.

If I had a big tank with them everywhere, I'd buy the harlequin shrimp that eat them. Since I don't, I won't. They'll definitely clean out most of the asterinas in a big tank, but in a small tank they'll eat the few they can reach, then starve. Oh well. You can borrow them from an LFS too to clean up the tank, then return them before they starve.

[ckw_1980]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info. I have a few creeping around my tank too. Guess I'll get ready for the hoard! :)

[BeachVacationer]

I had few about a year ago in my 5 gallon Pico tank. I thought they were pretty cool to have. But they never thrived in my tank. After a few months I could not spot any. I haven't sent one since then. Maybe my hermit crab ate them. I've never fed my crab specifically so it has learned to eat what it can find. When it's really hungry it eats a snail!