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FAQs about Asterina
(tiny, white...) Sea Stars, Compatibility/Control
Related Articles:
Asterina Stars,
An Introduction to the Echinoderms: The Sea Stars, Sea
Urchins, Sea Cucumbers and More... By
James W. Fatherree, M.Sc.
Related FAQs:
Asterinas 1, Asterinas 2, &
Asterina ID, Asterina Behavior,
Asterina Selection, Asterina Systems,
Asterina Feeding, Asterina Disease,
Asterina Reproduction, &
Sea Stars 1, Sea Stars 2,
Sea Stars 3, Sea Stars 4,
Sea Stars 5, Seastar Selection,
Seastar Compatibility, Seastar Systems,
Seastar Behavior, Seastar
Feeding, Seastar Reproduction,
Seastar Disease, Chocolate
Chip Stars, Crown of Thorns Stars,
Fromia Stars, Linckia Stars,
Linckia Stars 2, Sand-Sifting Stars, | 
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Asterinas and Triggers
11/21/09
Last week I removed and returned to the LFS a healthy Picasso Trigger
that was getting a little too bossy for the tank. Final straw was when
he killed a Chromis of mine in a rather brutal display of aggression.
Anyway, removed him and went on a 1 week business trip. Upon my return I
noticed 9 Asterina starfish on the front glass - never saw any before
and I keep a daily log of observations, problems etc. I can only assume
the trigger kept the population in check.
<Likely so>
Not advocating anyone get a trigger to control these things but my
Picasso sure did!
Alan
<Heeee! Am considering getting, keeping a grizzly bear now to keep the
neighbour's dogs off the lawn!
Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Asterina Starfish Infestation 8/18/08
I have a 125 gal tank
that is 1 year old. For the last 6 months I've noticed the starfish on
my glass. First one or two and now I have 15-20 at any given time. I
hesitated removing them because everything I read said they were not a
problem.
<Generally not>
Unfortunately, they are consuming my
coralline algae faster than it grows; much of my live rock is pure
white. I'm convinced that these critters are responsible, I can see the
shape of the stars outlined on the rock and sea shells. I've begun to
pull those on my glass out of the tank, in the last two weeks I've
removed probably two hundred! My Zoas are not looking very well but my
xenia, Kenya tree, Montipora, mushroom anemones and stony corals are all
well. I have a Yellow Tang, Hippo Tang, splendid Dottyback, tomato clown
and an flame Hawkfish. If I get a harlequin shrimp I plan on removing
the Hawkfish to my QT tank. My question is, can I beat them by simply
removing them from the tank or will they reproduce faster than I can
remove them?
<Mmm, might be a close race...>
I bring the starfish
to my local fish store.
<Ah, good>
Thanks for any help. John
<Often these Seastar repro. wars fix themselves... I would take a
philosophical bent here. Bob Fenner>
Asterina Seastar Populations, control – 03/20/08
How to
control these creatures? They multiply so quick. They eat the purple
algae; make the tank look weird and ugly because of white spot. Thanks.
Vinh
<<I have seen postings where it was reported Harlequin Shrimp
(Hymenocera sp.) will eat/reduce populations…but be aware; once the
Seastars are gone the shrimp will starve. Regards, EricR>>
Re: Asterina Seastar Populations, & Gnathophylliid f' - 03/21/08
Thanks Eric.
<<Welcome Vinh>>
Do Harlequin shrimp is reef safe,
and peaceful with other inverters?
Thanks,
Vinh
<<Depends on
your definition of “reef safe” I suppose…but other than Echinoderms,
your other inverts should be spared from the shrimp’s diet.
Asterinas – Reef Safe? 3/2/08
Let me start by thanking you
for your valuable expertise in this matter.
<Well, I’m by no
means an expert, but I’m happy to help in any way I can!>
I'm
sorry to take up your time,
<No worries, we’re here to help. :-)>
..but after reading the faq's about Asterina sp. starfish I am still
not yet confident enough to allow these specimens free reign.
<Understandable. There are many different species, some of which may
indeed eat corals or be problematic in reef systems. For the most
part, the little tan/beige asterinids we see so often are harmless
herbivores/scavengers. However, if their numbers become too large
and/or the food supply runs low, they have the potential to cause
problems. I’ve had anterinids in my tanks for years with corals and
never had any issues. Others, unfortunately, have not been so
lucky.>
Could you please let me know if it is most likely reef
safe?
<Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure is to keep an
eye on it. However, since the majority of these little stars are
“well mannered” I’d give yours the benefit of the doubt - innocent
until proven guilty. Take care, -Lynn>
Re: please help... Asterina... comp. 3/5/08
Thank
you I appreciate the reply. I have pulled out about 40 or 50 of the
Asterina anomala's since introducing the rock and I initially
assumed the worst. This tank is 2 years old and I have a lot of
valuable SPS in it. I traded a rock covered in zoo's and ric's that
I have had for 3.5 years to this fellow and received some frags and
a few rocks in return. The life in my tank is substantial but I was
shocked by the sudden emergence of species which I had thought to be
invasive. Thank you for the reply and I now feel bad for removing
this little creature, but at the time I was only thinking of the
reef that I have grown from 1/2" to 1" frags over years. Again thank
you this was my first experience with WetWeb and I am very pleased
by the timely and constructive reply.
<Welcome! B> |
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Tiny Little Starfish
Hello all, or rather, whoever !
I had
moved my 55 gallon tank a month ago and everything is pretty much broken
down. Various fish are in different tanks all through the house, all
inhabitants are doing great in their little vacation homes. My concern
is this: The main tank which just has a lot of my live rock and live
sand in it is infested with tiny little whitish, bluish starfish. I have
had a few of these guys from the beginning but never so many like now.
The tank has about 40lbs of live rock in it, about 4 inches of live
sand, lots of brittle stars, macroalgae, etc., but no fish. I have read
some things on these little guys, and I know they supposedly eat coral,
don't have any of that, so it doesn't really matter (but will in the
future), but I just don't want them in there and refuse to kill them. Is
there some fish or such I can get to eat them? Do you know of any damage
they may cause?
<Without a picture, I can offer you a few good
guesses. First, I bet the starfish are harmless. They allegedly eat
coral, but you have none and they still reproduce and thrive, so I think
they are probably eating something else. Secondly, they are reproducing
without fish in the tank. Again, it makes me think they are eating
something that the fish would normally eat and compete against
them/starve then down in population or whatever fish you have may eat
some of the starfish. I would not worry about them at this point, but do
try to make a positive identification. Take a look in Julian Sprung's
book "The Invert Guide" and Dr. Shimek's "Key to Identification" found
on his webpage.>
Also, I made my own protein skimmer (countercurrent
flow, airstone driven). Since the filter system is broken down right
now, I was thinking about changing it to Venturi driven. Is this more
trouble than it's worth?
<Generally less maintenance than CC air
driven models, but far more difficult to DIY.>
Do these things really
run better than with airstones?
<Very debatable. If you are getting
good production now, I would be inclined to keep the current unit.>
I
sure go through a lot of airstones and thought it might even be more
cost efficient over time. Whatcha think?
<Airstones are pretty cheap.
It would probably take years to recover and money saved in airstones
versus the pump and Venturi valve to run the new DIY skimmer. Upon
rereading, I am not sure you wish to DIY. If not, I would look through
the FAQ's on skimmer selection for various recommendations for various
size tanks and applications.>
Thanks for all the advice, and have a
good weekend, Jana
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro> Nuisance
sea stars (Asterina)
Hi, and thanks for your last reply on the
length that I can keep mixed Kalk. I am now becoming concerned with the
eradication of the dreaded tiny starfish that can get up to the size of
a dime that I have had in small numbers in my tank for approximately one
year.
<I assume that they have not eaten anything desirable, but
that they have simply grown to a nuisance population?>
I continually
find them everywhere and have removed upwards of 200 from my tank over
the same time period. The starfish have only been on one side of the
tank but are now migrating to the other and I am worried about my SPS
corals on that side of the tank.
<my friend... at these numbers, if
the species hasn't eaten a coral yet, they are not going to. Most
aquarists never have a single problem with this species... only a few
honestly do. They are just a plague... not much of a predator>
I have
a 180 gallon. Will the Harlequin shrimp take care of these if I can find
one or two?
<Yowza! This is an obligate feeder. It may eat the
stars... but what happens when the stars are eradicated? Are you willing
and prepared to buy live starfish monthly if not weekly to keep the
shrimp (s) alive? I would never recommend that you simply put a
Harlequin in this display for this purpose alone of even primarily.
Harlequin shrimp need specialized and direct care>
Would I need to
keep two or more for the shrimp to feel at home? I don't think I have
any fish that would hurt the shrimp. I do have emerald crabs which have
never hurt anything that I have so far.
< "so far" being the
operative phrase in that sentence... wait until they grow to sandwich
size and the cat goes missing>
Would I need to remove my sand sifting
starfish or wouldn't the harlequins bother them?
<the Harlequins
will likely bother your other sea stars>
Any other ideas for ridding
my tank of the pest starfish?
<dedicated ,manual extraction if they
must go... else they are truly excellent algae eaters from the glass
(and rocks). You will notice once they are gone>
Thanks again, Jeff
<kindly, Anthony> A Profusion of Stars (9/15/04)
Hi Mr. Fenner, <Steve Allen helping out tonight.>
I have used your
web site for years to help answer many of my aquatic questions. Thank
you. <A pleasure to have a role here. Bob and all who have contributed
over the years have done us all a great service.> In many of your Q&A
you refer to many links for people to follow. As a result, the first
thing I did was go to as many issues to see if my question had been
covered! - It has, but only in part.
From what I've gathered I'm 97%
sure there tiny Asterina starfish. <Make that even more so, these pix
are clearly a form of Asterina.> This wouldn't be bad except they are
eating my coralline algae at aggressive proportions! <Hmm. They
generally eat other algae and I have not heard this complaint before.>
As many as 35 might get plucked from a 6 inch in diameter live rock.
I estimate roughly 250+ in the tank. <That is quite a lot. I wonder what
aspect of your tank conditions favors this. Overfeeding? Inadequate
detritus removal? Hard to say. Mine has only a few dozen.> They multiply
so fast when they break their appendages, and are hard to see on the
rock at times.
The easiest thing to do would be to toss in a Trigger
and let him go at it. Unfortunately, this system is a 5 year old 55gal
reef and has an established group of "peaceful" fish, inverts (coral
banded, hermits, bristles) and corals (candy canes, mushrooms, bubbles,
colt, hammer, cabbage, polyps)
What can I do! I have been manually
plucking off the starfish with tweezers. The article from your site
(colored in green below) is the nearest reference to my question I
found.
Attached are 3 low-res jpgs of my uninvited guests.
<Asterina, to be sure.> You have my permission to use these images and
our correspondence (edited) if this will help. Please help!!! Thank you.
Clayton <I have to concur with Anthony's opinion on these. There are
those who swear these stars will eat corals, but some very respected
invertebrate experts in the hobby beg to differ. A Harlequin shrimp will
need to be fed manually once it wipes out the Asterina. Someone at GARF
was crowing about keeping them alive for 8 months. I am not
impressed--18 months and I might start to be. It doesn't sound like you
can use the kinds of large aggressive fish that might eat them. That
leaves manual plucking with tweezers, which the sites I checked
recommend. I'd suggest that if you do try this, you take the time to
pluck out every last one that you can get at. Good luck.> Tweezing
Stars (9/16/04)
Thanks Steve Allen. <You're welcome.> I was
afraid tweezers or the Harlequin were my only options. <Regrettably so,
the first of these being the only truly viable choice.> I will double
check my "tank waste" levels. I would think they would want to be where
the detritus is and not on my coralline however. <Go figure. Maybe they
have developed a taste for it.> Time to tweeze. <You will have your hand
& arm in the tank for a long time doing this. I strongly advise wearing
a long-armed aquarium glove to protect your skin. It will take some
practice to be able to use tweezers while wearing one. Go to
www.drsfostersmith.com and search on "gloves" in the fish section for
examples.> Thank you for your response. Clayton <Good luck to you. Steve
Allen.> (Asterina anxieties)
Hi I'm wondering if you
guys could help me out real fast. I have a small 7 gallon reef tank and
this evening I noticed a very very small white star fish like creature
in the tank. Looking further I have found a ton more hiding in the rocks
and inside the green algae. Are these bad? What will chow down on them?
I just now placed an emerald crab inside the tank to control more of the
algae and was hoping he would dine on them as well. Any help you guys
could give me would be great. I would also like to thank you for the
countless articles of help I have already read for help in the past,
Thank again, Brian S.
<Mmm, not likely a problem with these little
stars. You can read about others experiences with Asterina on
WetWebMedia.com. I would use the Google search tool on the homepage and
the genus name. Bob Fenner>
- Mini-star dangerous? -
Hello All,
First I want to thank
all of the WWM crew for their tireless efforts to make the WWM what
I consider to be one of the best sources for practical advice on
marine aquaria I have come across in the "whole year" I have been
involved in the hobby (read that obsessed). <Haha, that's good to
hear!> Thank You!!! I have also just received "Reef Invertebrates"
By Anthony and Robert, wonderful work and very much appreciated.
<Will pass along!>
Now for one of many questions, Attached is an
amateur photo of the underside of one of several critters I have
recently noticed in my 55 Gal. Reef. This animal is approx. 3/8"
across and appears to be akin to some sort of starfish when viewed
from above. They are somewhat active and I have observed them on my
Tridacnid clam shell and some of the LPS coral bases but have not
observed any damage done. Any help with ID would be greatly
appreciated as I have scoured your site as well as a good part of
the net with no success other than continued education.
<That's a
tiny sea star of the genus Asterina. Most of these critters are
simply harmless algae and bacteria feeders, but some have been seen
chowing SPS tissue. They are quite common in reef tanks, so don't be
alarmed unless you see them cruising over on of your acro's. They
reproduce by dropping legs, which explains the odd and highly
variable shape!>
As of yet I have had some wonderful success with
my tank and am involved in propagating LPS and SPS corals, I have
120 lbs LR in a 55G show tank, 1-2" Med aragonite base, overflow to
a wet dry with protein skimmer in sump, I have a 10G refugium loaded
w/ copepods and all kinds of macro algae which along with the live
rock I attribute to the successful existence of 2 fat and happy
Dragonets 1 mandarin and 1 psychedelic,
<Good to hear of fat and
happy dragonets, I hear too much of the other extreme...>
I was
about 6 months into a FO set up when one of my vendors sold me the
contents of his reef tank and thrust me into this wonderful world
where I have been scrambling to learn as much as I can trying to
keep everything alive with only a minor fatality of SPS along the
way. <Sometimes that happens, don't let it get you down. Happy
fraggin'! -Kevin> Thanks again for all your work and advice.
Best
Regards, Jim | 
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Asterina Star Invasion - 04/30/06
Hi Bob / Crew,
<<Hello
Matt...Eric Russell here tonight>>
I have been reading through the
FAQ's etc and I have determined that my 180 gal (semi) reef has a plague
of Asterina stars.
<<Likely not as much a problem as you perceive>>
They are varying in size from dots to 1/2" specimens, and I have
hundreds of them.
<<Like many of the organisms in our tanks, these
too are self-limiting based on available food stuffs>>
On any given
morning I could have between 150 and 250 of them on the front glass
alone.
<<Is a bunch...but probably not anything to worry about>>
They are everywhere - and to be honest are quite unsightly stuck to the
front glass all the time.
<<Getting in the way of viewing your tank
eh?>>
My tank is not exactly a full blown reef - it has half a dozen
mushroom (Sarcophyton) corals ranging in size from 12-14" to 2", some
'shrooms and star polyps, and a mature finger leather coral (about 12").
<<Is still a "reef" my friend>>
Reading previous FAQ's, I see that
the only real options for removal are a tweezers (but they'll just
divide and come back within a couple of weeks) or a Harlequin shrimp
(that would run the risk of starvation once the stars are gone).
<<Take a look at your feeding practices...these stars are eating
"something">>
I was thinking / hoping that seeing as I have so many
of these little guys that it might be enough to sustain a single
harlequin shrimp long term. Would this be a realistic hope?
<<I'm
skeptical>>
Failing this, is there any fish that could be reliably
used for removing them? Seeing as my tank contains only hardy, nasty
tasting corals, I was hoping there might be a fishy alternative - like
maybe a Maculosus or Navarchus angel or the like.......
<<Not that
I'm aware of mate. I think your best bet is to adopt a judicious
feeding plan and let them go by way of attrition>>
Thanks guys <<and
gals>>.
Regards,
Matt
<<Things could be worse my friend...I
wouldn't fret the stars, they will likely wane on their own. Regards,
Eric Russell>> Asterina eating a polyp 12/20/06
Hello Crew,
<Hey Nick, JustinN with you today>
Thanks for the
awesome website!
<Thanks for the kind words!>
I was wondering if
you could help me with a couple questions I couldn't find an answer to.
<I can certainly try, can't I? *grin*>
I have numerous little white
starfish which I believe to be Asterina.
<Likely so, very common>
I have had them for well over a year with no problems. A few days ago I
noticed that some of the polyps on one of my Zoanthid colonies were not
looking very good, shriveled and discolored. Last night I looked at the
colony and noticed one of the Asterina engulfing one of the polyps.
<Scavenging, as they do...>
Do you believe that this starfish was
only eating the polyp because it was dead or dying? -or-
Do you
think it just attacked the polyp because it was hungry. (although I've
never seen this happen for over a year since I've had the starfish
population)
<I think you answered your own question here *grin* You
witnessed the degrading of the polyps before the incident happened, and
as you stated, you are well over a year incident free. I personally
believe these intriguing (and invariably free!) reef denizens have
gained a bad rap in the Zoanthid fanatic circles. I've not seen anything
beyond circumstantial at best information on this behavior from Asterina
stars.>
Worried, I peeled the starfish off and removed him from the
tank. But now I wonder what would have happened if I had left him.... Do
you think he just would have beneficially eaten the decaying part of the
colony or would he have eaten the health polyps as well.
<My thought
is the former, not the latter.>
So if I see this again should I just
let the starfish do his work?
<Yes, if you witness this again, I
would just let it happen, is part of the biota balance.>
One other
quick question, I am giving some Chaetomorpha macroalgae to my brother
for his refugium. I have a population of flatworms in my tank that I
don't mind, but my brother might. I was curious if it would be ok to
freshwater dip this algae to remove the worms.... I could just swish it
in saltwater, but I'm afraid that it might not remove them all.
<Why
not just take the safety route and use both methods? Rinse in some
saltwater first, then do a short freshwater dip before rerinsing in
saltwater and bagging for your brother.>
Thank you so much in
advance for your help. Everyone have a happy Holiday!
-Nick
<Happy holidays to you and yours as well, Nick. Hope this helps you!
-JustinN> Asterina Starfish compatibility 11/24/06
Hello,
<Hello and a happy Thanksgiving to you, Rosemary! JustinN
with you today.>
I very much enjoyed reading the information you had
posted on your web sight about Star Fishes. I am looking for
information about a specific breed I did not see mentioned on your web
sight. I was told it is called "Asterina Mini Star" I will email you
the listing off eBay so you might see what they look like.
<Mmm, not necessary, am very familiar with this species>
I am
interested in learning anything you know about this species. I
especially wanted to know if they are coral safe? I currently have a
pair of Erectus sea horses and a bluestriped pipe fish in a 15 gallon
tank. I wanted to make sure this is a peaceful type. According to the
sellers listing this type is suppose to remain small so I thought it
might be perfect for my tank. I would greatly appreciate to learn what
you know about them. I would be extremely grateful for any help you
could give me!
Thank you so much for your time!
Best Wishes
Rosemary
<While some people like to point fingers and blame Asterina
stars for such things as polyps not extending, and of consuming
Zoanthids, myself and many other reefers in my area have many of these
in our tanks and have never seen any deleterious effects. These starfish
have little to no affect on the overall bioload, and are excellent
detritivores. The main reason that they seem to get accused of as much
ill as they do, is because they do reproduce like weeds. If your tank is
nutrient rich enough, they can grow to plague proportions, although it
is typically easy to keep in check with manual extraction. Do you have
any live rock in your aquarium? If so, you may already have some
Asterina stars and not know it yet! Have a browse through our existing
Asterina starfish FAQ's and decide for yourself if they sound right for
you:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/asterinafaqs.htm Hope this helps you!
-JustinN>
Hitchhiker...friendly or evil?
Asterina Stars – 12/30/07
Hello,
<Hello, Brenda here!>
I
purchased my first batch of live rock yesterday for my brand new
saltwater aquarium! Yippee!!
<Congratulations on a very exciting
adventure!>
When I got it at the store, the guy helped me pick out a
really good piece with a little mushroom on it and a small white
starfish which I thought was pretty cool. When I got it all home and put
them in, I found another, and this morning I found another! They're
asymmetrical, tiny creamy colored things. I've done some research and
found out that they are either carnivorous enemies that must be
irradiated before they populate the entire tank and eat all of your
coral, or cute, harmless algae eaters. I'd like to keep them because I
like them, but if they're going to cause a problem I'd like to get rid
of them earlier rather than later. Do you have any idea which one they
are or how to tell?
<It sounds like you have Asterina Stars.>
Have
you encountered this at all?
<I have Asterina Stars in all of my reef
tanks. I have never encountered a problem with them. I find them to be
beneficial. Some have stated that they have witnessed these stars eating
coral. This is rare in healthy coral. Asterina Stars are often found
eating already dead tissue and are falsely accused. I would not be
concerned, and would add them to my tank. More information found here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/asterinafaqs.htm >
Thanks!
<You’re
welcome and good luck to you! Brenda>
Re: Asterina Stars – 12/30/07
Good to hear!
I have an 8g nano
tank, hopefully will become a reef tank, and already I have three nice
sized whitish ones and like 10 TINY bluish ones (about a cm long).
<Yikes! I would remove the blue ones. My previous recommendation was for
the white and tan Asterina Stars that you stated you had. I have read of
instances where any pink, purple or blue Asterina stars are known to eat
coral.>
How quickly will they overrun my tank?
<This is hard to
say and will depend on available food. An 8 gallon tank is rather small,
so it may happen within a few months.>
When should I start plucking?
<This is a personal choice. I never remove the white/tan ones. Many
people do not like to have them on the glass.>
Thanks so much!
Tori
<You’re welcome! Brenda>
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