Asterina sea stars control?

dilligaf_biker69 · 06/12/2006, 06:23 PM

Need help....i have an infestation of these stars, and for all you nay sayers that say they do not eat polyps or corals well you are wrong...they are slowly eating my montipora caps....green and regular ol purple rim, I have been trying, with tweezers to get the majority out...but everytime I pick out a rock I see many many more all over and under...is anyone doing any studies to see what can "kill" these?..I know the Harlequin Shrimp is a good idea...but the last $28 I spent fed my neon dottyback...as I was breaking up the caps that had some die off on them I did a dip with seachems reef dip/coral disinfectant hoping iodine would hurt them...but as I dipped the cap i saw a few baby brittles drop off the rocks but none of the asterinas fall off...(guess if it kills baby brittles it may kill asterinas?)..I still had to use the tweezers after a short dip of about 5 min, guess I can try a longer dip?...any ideas?? will get pics up asap
Roy

Kent E · 06/12/2006, 07:54 PM

I had a simular problem a couple of years ago. A harliquin shrimp will take care of them but make sure you don't ahve any other stars.

There may be some fish that eat them, not exactly sure which.

Sk8r · 06/12/2006, 08:43 PM

Harlequins will die after they do in all the starfish. Bumblebee shrimp are also advertised to eat starfish, but are not that fussy.

RichConley · 06/12/2006, 08:45 PM

my melanarus wrasse eats them

otolith · 06/12/2006, 10:14 PM

I have seen my purple linkia chowing away on them (pretty cool watching it puke out its stomach onto the glass to swallow the stars). I've never seen my blue linkia touch them, but barely see those small stars any longer.

SVXH6 · 06/13/2006, 12:16 AM

my blue linkia has eaten them..

imbuggin · 06/13/2006, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SVXH6
my blue linkia has eaten them..

my blue linka will eat them. It will not keep them under controll by any means though. I think they eat the corals after they start to receed. I thought they were eating my corals till I realized they were the "clean up crew" for AEFW and Monti Nutis.

onehundred20 · 06/13/2006, 12:29 PM

ive heard of flatworm exit killing just about everything but fish and corals...not sure if it would work on starfish though.

imbuggin · 06/13/2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by onehundred20
ive heard of flatworm exit killing just about everything but fish and corals...not sure if it would work on starfish though.

no it will not sorry

CamBarr · 06/13/2006, 01:29 PM

tagging along i have had mild sucess whith taking them out whith tweezers i have not seen them for a couple of daye well see though the also will eat coraline algea

jman77 · 06/13/2006, 02:34 PM

How do these things spread ?

CamBarr · 06/13/2006, 02:37 PM

by fission
the split and divide them selves

jman77 · 06/13/2006, 02:43 PM

How big of a tank would you need these stars in to keep a Harlequin shrimp going ? This would be a great way to keep the Harlequins fed and healthy if the shrimp eat them .

CamBarr · 06/13/2006, 04:00 PM

Im not quite shure, they procreate pretty fast.
im shure it's possible

dilligaf_biker69 · 06/13/2006, 05:25 PM

and they do a great job of hiding under and through the rocks just like copepods and all...so as much as I pluck with tweezers they will be back with a vengance.....wonder if because I use NSW they procreate/split faster???...and yes they do a number on coralline too.

melev · 06/13/2006, 08:23 PM

I've had harlequins in my tank for several months now, and they eat asterinas on a daily basis. I have a blue one and a pink one (a boy and a girl, I assume). Here's Mrs Harlequin Shrimp.

They are nocturnal, and they won't erradicate them quickly. I do have serpent starfish and a brittle starfish in this tank as well, but they haven't been interested in them.

jman77 · 06/13/2006, 09:11 PM

neat....anyone willing to send some stars my way ...

CamBarr · 06/13/2006, 11:20 PM

melev
How bad was the out break? Did you notice a change in the volume of them in youâ€™re tank???

BlueStag · 06/14/2006, 01:21 AM

Harlequin shrimp works great. I had a large outbreak of the little stars too. I purchased one Harlequin for a 180 gallon. He keeps the population down very well. As long as you have a sump, refugium or overflow, the stars will still be in the tank. I still see the stars, but not nearly as many as before. Just enough to keep the Harlequin fed. Harlequin are fun to watch too.

melev · 06/14/2006, 09:54 AM

Well, they were everywhere. At this point, there are less of them, but I still see at least 50 scattered about on the glass daily. I used to see them on almost every square inch of rock, when I looked hard enough. They blend in well.

CamBarr · 06/14/2006, 10:14 AM

Yea the stars blend very well. What about Bumble Bee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum) they are supposed to feed on these stars too does anyone have one???

Mr aqua · 06/14/2006, 04:47 PM

Bizzare coiencidence, I noticed the same problem in my tank a few months back and thought nothing about the little star fish. Then I noticed more and more and more of them, when I saw them en mass on my LR and glass chewing out little divots of coralline I realized I had a problem... cool thing is I get to keep my first Harlequine shrimp, which I purchased the other day. With any luck he/she (its blue) will have a large enough food source to keep it alive for a while, they are a cool specimen.

Dr.King · 06/20/2006, 11:59 AM

I had thousands of the little Asterina stars in my 125. I never saw any evidence that they were hurting any of the corals but they definetely wiped the LR clean of all coraline( wish they cleaned the glass

). After about 6 months they have just about completely died off in my tank, but a thousand brittle stars( the smoothed armed 1" type) have taken over. Not sure if its coincidence or if the brittle stars outcompeted the Asterinas for the food supply.

It has been speculated that there are several types of small stars that look alike but have different diets, which would explain the debate over whether they eat coral polyps or not.

Mr aqua · 06/20/2006, 12:37 PM

My Harlequin shrimp that I mentioned I added to my system didn't make it through the night!

I know shrimp and the like are sensitive to salinity changes but I acclimated for over a day. How hardy are these shrimp supposed to be? Has anyone else had problems keeping them, besides the food source factor?

What are your experiences?

smcooler · 06/20/2006, 07:00 PM

dont cleen your glass for a few days, int the am they will be all over the alge on the glass, just suck them up with a small hose. I did this a few mornings last week and I put a huge dent in them, now I can hardly find one.

sm

06/12/2006, 06:23 PM	#1
dilligaf_biker69 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DAYTONA BEACH FL Posts: 483	Asterina sea stars control? Need help....i have an infestation of these stars, and for all you nay sayers that say they do not eat polyps or corals well you are wrong...they are slowly eating my montipora caps....green and regular ol purple rim, I have been trying, with tweezers to get the majority out...but everytime I pick out a rock I see many many more all over and under...is anyone doing any studies to see what can "kill" these?..I know the Harlequin Shrimp is a good idea...but the last $28 I spent fed my neon dottyback...as I was breaking up the caps that had some die off on them I did a dip with seachems reef dip/coral disinfectant hoping iodine would hurt them...but as I dipped the cap i saw a few baby brittles drop off the rocks but none of the asterinas fall off...(guess if it kills baby brittles it may kill asterinas?)..I still had to use the tweezers after a short dip of about 5 min, guess I can try a longer dip?...any ideas?? will get pics up asap Roy

06/12/2006, 07:54 PM	#2
Kent E One Millionth Poster Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Asheboro NC Posts: 4,273	I had a simular problem a couple of years ago. A harliquin shrimp will take care of them but make sure you don't ahve any other stars. There may be some fish that eat them, not exactly sure which. __________________ 1000 gallon Current Tank Info: Dreaming up a new one

06/12/2006, 08:43 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Harlequins will die after they do in all the starfish. Bumblebee shrimp are also advertised to eat starfish, but are not that fussy. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/12/2006, 08:45 PM	#4
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	my melanarus wrasse eats them __________________ NO TANKS!!!

06/12/2006, 10:14 PM	#5
otolith Cancer Sucks Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: MN Posts: 1,398	I have seen my purple linkia chowing away on them (pretty cool watching it puke out its stomach onto the glass to swallow the stars). I've never seen my blue linkia touch them, but barely see those small stars any longer. __________________ [QUOTE=BrianD;21444507]Listen to this man.[/QUOTE] "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe." --John Muir Current Tank Info: 210g in the works :)

06/13/2006, 12:16 AM	#6
SVXH6 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 2,685	my blue linkia has eaten them..

06/13/2006, 12:29 PM	#8
onehundred20 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 826	ive heard of flatworm exit killing just about everything but fish and corals...not sure if it would work on starfish though.

06/13/2006, 01:29 PM	#10
CamBarr Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Irvine, SOCAL Posts: 2,365	tagging along i have had mild sucess whith taking them out whith tweezers i have not seen them for a couple of daye well see though the also will eat coraline algea __________________ Cam Barr

06/13/2006, 02:34 PM	#11
jman77 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida Posts: 2,391	How do these things spread ?

06/13/2006, 02:37 PM	#12
CamBarr Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Irvine, SOCAL Posts: 2,365	by fission the split and divide them selves __________________ Cam Barr

06/13/2006, 02:43 PM	#13
jman77 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida Posts: 2,391	How big of a tank would you need these stars in to keep a Harlequin shrimp going ? This would be a great way to keep the Harlequins fed and healthy if the shrimp eat them .

06/13/2006, 04:00 PM	#14
CamBarr Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Irvine, SOCAL Posts: 2,365	Im not quite shure, they procreate pretty fast. im shure it's possible __________________ Cam Barr

06/13/2006, 05:25 PM	#15
dilligaf_biker69 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: DAYTONA BEACH FL Posts: 483	and they do a great job of hiding under and through the rocks just like copepods and all...so as much as I pluck with tweezers they will be back with a vengance.....wonder if because I use NSW they procreate/split faster???...and yes they do a number on coralline too.

06/13/2006, 08:23 PM	#16
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	I've had harlequins in my tank for several months now, and they eat asterinas on a daily basis. I have a blue one and a pink one (a boy and a girl, I assume). Here's Mrs Harlequin Shrimp. They are nocturnal, and they won't erradicate them quickly. I do have serpent starfish and a brittle starfish in this tank as well, but they haven't been interested in them.

06/13/2006, 09:11 PM	#17
jman77 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida Posts: 2,391	neat....anyone willing to send some stars my way ...

06/13/2006, 11:20 PM	#18
CamBarr Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Irvine, SOCAL Posts: 2,365	melev How bad was the out break? Did you notice a change in the volume of them in youâ€™re tank??? __________________ Cam Barr

06/14/2006, 01:21 AM	#19
BlueStag Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 1,054	Harlequin shrimp works great. I had a large outbreak of the little stars too. I purchased one Harlequin for a 180 gallon. He keeps the population down very well. As long as you have a sump, refugium or overflow, the stars will still be in the tank. I still see the stars, but not nearly as many as before. Just enough to keep the Harlequin fed. Harlequin are fun to watch too.

06/14/2006, 09:54 AM	#20
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Well, they were everywhere. At this point, there are less of them, but I still see at least 50 scattered about on the glass daily. I used to see them on almost every square inch of rock, when I looked hard enough. They blend in well.

06/14/2006, 10:14 AM	#21
CamBarr Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Irvine, SOCAL Posts: 2,365	Yea the stars blend very well. What about Bumble Bee Shrimp (Gnathophyllum americanum) they are supposed to feed on these stars too does anyone have one??? __________________ Cam Barr

06/14/2006, 04:47 PM	#22
Mr aqua Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: So Cali Posts: 258	Bizzare coiencidence, I noticed the same problem in my tank a few months back and thought nothing about the little star fish. Then I noticed more and more and more of them, when I saw them en mass on my LR and glass chewing out little divots of coralline I realized I had a problem... cool thing is I get to keep my first Harlequine shrimp, which I purchased the other day. With any luck he/she (its blue) will have a large enough food source to keep it alive for a while, they are a cool specimen.

06/20/2006, 11:59 AM	#23
Dr.King Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: West Chester, PA USA Posts: 511	I had thousands of the little Asterina stars in my 125. I never saw any evidence that they were hurting any of the corals but they definetely wiped the LR clean of all coraline( wish they cleaned the glass ). After about 6 months they have just about completely died off in my tank, but a thousand brittle stars( the smoothed armed 1" type) have taken over. Not sure if its coincidence or if the brittle stars outcompeted the Asterinas for the food supply. It has been speculated that there are several types of small stars that look alike but have different diets, which would explain the debate over whether they eat coral polyps or not.

06/20/2006, 12:37 PM	#24
Mr aqua Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: So Cali Posts: 258	My Harlequin shrimp that I mentioned I added to my system didn't make it through the night! I know shrimp and the like are sensitive to salinity changes but I acclimated for over a day. How hardy are these shrimp supposed to be? Has anyone else had problems keeping them, besides the food source factor? What are your experiences?

06/20/2006, 07:00 PM	#25
smcooler Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NJ Hillsborough Posts: 748	dont cleen your glass for a few days, int the am they will be all over the alge on the glass, just suck them up with a small hose. I did this a few mornings last week and I put a huge dent in them, now I can hardly find one. sm