- Location
- Manhattan New York
I have a whole bunch of this small star fish I want to get rid of them but there's so much of them what can I do ?
Starfish
- Thread starter Jc lover
- Start date
- Location
- Bronx, NY
you posted this in the wrong forum, but from the sounds of it, it sound like you have asterina starfish. they become a nuisance in your tank. best invert to get to control them is a harlequin shrimp. control them before they control your tank......
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Are they asterina starfish or micro brittle stars?
If Micro brittle stars, you are probably overfeeding & the population will grow in proportion to how much food is available. If you feed less some will eventually die off. They aren't bad for your tank and harm nothing but eventually all of the extra feeding will start to mess with your parameters and your nitrate will climb.
If they are asterina stars a Harlequin Shrimp will eat them for you BUT after they are gone, you MUST feed the Harlequin as it will die
They ONLY eat starfish. Folks who have these shrimp will buy a Chocolate Chip starfish once a month (or slightly less often) and feed it to the shrimp. Some reefers keep a chocolate chip star in their sump and cut off 1 leg per week & feed it to the Harley (yuck...).
Also keep in mind that some asterinas - IF they have any 'color' in them and are anything other than pure beige- eat zoas if you have that kind, you definitely want them out of your tank.
Those are your options :starfish:
If Micro brittle stars, you are probably overfeeding & the population will grow in proportion to how much food is available. If you feed less some will eventually die off. They aren't bad for your tank and harm nothing but eventually all of the extra feeding will start to mess with your parameters and your nitrate will climb.
If they are asterina stars a Harlequin Shrimp will eat them for you BUT after they are gone, you MUST feed the Harlequin as it will die
They ONLY eat starfish. Folks who have these shrimp will buy a Chocolate Chip starfish once a month (or slightly less often) and feed it to the shrimp. Some reefers keep a chocolate chip star in their sump and cut off 1 leg per week & feed it to the Harley (yuck...).
Also keep in mind that some asterinas - IF they have any 'color' in them and are anything other than pure beige- eat zoas
if you have that kind, you definitely want them out of your tank.Those are your options :starfish:
- Location
- Manhattan New York
They are beige color to white they are everywhere now if I get those shrimps not sure if my wrasse will eat it lol
- Location
- Bellmore, NY
I have also read that Pacific Jewel Starfish will eat them. I'm going to try and acquire one as my asterina population is really growing faster than I'd like and so far no damage but not sure i want to risk them getting a taste of zoa or sps.
My wrasses (and I have quite a few) never bothered my Harleys.
If you do get more than 1 Harley make sure you get a male/female pair. If you get 2 of the same sex - you will end up with one Harley. One should have markings on it's belly & the other should have none (I forgot which is which..)
Where did you find this info? I just looked around the web and found no info on this starfish eating other starfish.
The plain beige asterinas typically do not eat coral though their numbers can grow out of proportion and they can become unsightly to look at when their are too many.
Why not just go with the Harleys?
The asterina stars are usually on the 'glass' each morning before the lights come on... It's easy to 'drag' a net from bottom to top and scoop them up... Won't eliminate them completely, but does decrease/control their population
- Location
- The Big City
There are number of starfish that eat other starfish, though I don't know if the one mention above does or if any eat Asternia starfish. I did have a large Red starfish that ate a couple of Chocolate Chip and Sand starfish, and didn't leave much left behind when it did.
- Location
- Bellmore, NY
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/3/gallery
As well as a few forum posts that I found but nothing conclusive.
Problem is i have a red fromia and a sand sifter that I'm attached to and nowhere to put them. I could sump them but no sand in there for the sifter...
As well as a few forum posts that I found but nothing conclusive.
Problem is i have a red fromia and a sand sifter that I'm attached to and nowhere to put them. I could sump them but no sand in there for the sifter...
Kathy, we all know that there is everything that eats everything in the ocean. A big fish eats a small fish, which is in turned eaten by another big fish. Same with snails, crabs and everything else.
So why would it be so unheard of that some starfish would eat another?
Population control.
:p
Thanks for the link!
Very interesting and written by a well respected aquarist too.
If you try this, please do let us know how it turns out.
I didn't say it was 'unheard' of, I said I looked around the web and found no info on Pacific Jewel starfish eating asterinas, so I asked the gentleman where he'd learned this info.
Simple as that :starfish:
- Location
- Bellmore, NY
It's the only other alternative I've found. I may try the net idea in the mornings and see if that makes a dent. There's just so many of them.
The problem is finding one...
The problem is finding one...
- Location
- Manhattan New York
I like them but not sure if these are the ones that eat coral they just might
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