Every day I pull out 15 of these little pests! It is never ending. Any suggestions on how to remove them permanently? I keep fish, Corals, Clams, one Tuxedo urchin, one large Banded Brittle Starfish, assorted hermits, snails, and a couple of shrimp. My tank is a 72 bow front with 100 Lbs. of live rock. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
How to get rid of Asterina Starfish?
- Thread starter stoneriff
- Start date
Thanks for the info, buy will they eat my Banded Brittle Star?
- Location
- The Big City
You may want to check out New World on E38th Street. Also you can make a post in the Want to Buy Forum on MR. I'm sure a vendor here may have some or can get them for you.
Why bother removing them? While there're a lot of people out there who think they damage corals and freak out about them, but the consensus seems to be that they'll only eat corals/polyps that're already dead or dying and don't cause any problems. I haven't seen them cause any problems in my 29, and I've got a small but indefinite number crawling around in there. If they aren't causing any problems, I wouldn't bother.
Oh, and the Harlequin would definitely eat your serpent star -- and probably eat it first. So if you want to use a harlequin for biological control, it'd be best to borrow/rent/lease one, put the brittle star in your sump until the harlequin's done its job.
Yes move the serpent starfish to the sump the harleys will eat it. Mini stars for the most part are harmless but they can be unsightly. The Harley will take care of them but after that they will need to be fed starfish or they will starve to death. My advice if you go with a harley is to let it take care of your mini stars then relocate it to your sump and feed it chocolate chip starfish after you relocate your serpent to the display tank.
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actually, there are many variations, and alot of them are completely harmless algae grazers. i have thousands in my display, and all they do is eat algae. the only time they get on a coral is when it's dead and there is algae growing on it. they never touch a live coral. most of them are beneficial to the reef.
- Location
- Rego Park, Queens
I can second that....I have tons of them at the moment...all on the glass, none on the rocks, and I haven't had to scrape algae off the front glass in over a month..which is good because I get really lazy with my tank during the summer. I have never once seen one on a coral...In my experience, they come and go...after a while the disappear....only to reappear a few years later.
Thanks for all the advice. I want to get rid of them. They are everywhere. They are known to come out at night. I have so many, that they're out during the day as well. I've taken out 20 a day in some instances. They are on the rocks, coral, glass, EVERYWHERE!!! I can count 30-35 at any given time. :irked: I will be adding some Harlequins. I'll put my banded starfish in the sump for a little while.
Just so we are all on the same page...the star (that might get eaten) has been called both a serpent star and a brittle star on this thread..
They are 2 different kinds of stars.
In my experience the Serpent star is not bothered by Harley's..I've had both in my tank for a couple of years and they peacefully co-exist.
Here is a Serpent Star (pic from Live Aquaria)
This is a banded brittle star (again thank you Live Aquaria for the pic
)
They are 2 different kinds of stars.
In my experience the Serpent star is not bothered by Harley's..I've had both in my tank for a couple of years and they peacefully co-exist.
Here is a Serpent Star (pic from Live Aquaria)
This is a banded brittle star (again thank you Live Aquaria for the pic
)Hey Kathy;Just so we are all on the same page...the star (that might get eaten) has been called both a serpent star and a brittle star on this thread..
They are 2 different kinds of stars.
In my experience the Serpent star is not bothered by Harley's..I've had both in my tank for a couple of years and they peacefully co-exist.
Here is a Serpent Star (pic from Live Aquaria)
This is a banded brittle star (again thank you Live Aquaria for the pic
It is a beautiful cream colored Serpent Star with chocolate brown rings. I would hate to loos it. I refer to it as my sea monster. He is not huge, maybe 7-8" from tip to tip. Thoughts?
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