Hitcher Star ..... Get rid of or keep ???? Photo

[crazyelvis]

Here is a photo of a star that must have hitched in on my LR... I think I need to get him out ... Anybody think otherwise???
<img src=http://members.aol.com/tcb4lee/star>

 

[mr . salty]

My tank is literally crawling with those.Hundreds if not more,and I havn't seen any of them causing problems...I vote KEEP...Usually you can tell if a starfish is reef safe,or not,from the bumps or horns on it...If there are NO bumps it is safe....

 

[bammbamm74]

Actually, there was a post about carnivore starfish and garf.org had an article with pictures of them. Kind of looked like that but brown. They eat corals. I would find that post and double check to make sure it's not that kind of starfish.

 

[kelly]

I have a few, with no incidents that I am aware of... Here is a link for a little more info.
<a href="http://www.reefs.org/library/article/little_white_starfish.html" target="_blank">http://www.reefs.org/library/article/little_white_starfish.html</a>

 

[karlas]

it looks like the micro stars i got in my fauna kit from IA. they are supposed to be safe. they only get about a 1/2" and no bigger.

 

[algea eater]

got a few also and never had any problems

 

[varible]

karlas, fauna kit?
where do you get this? id love to have more diversity in my tank.

 

[bt_1999_66]

My understanding is that these mostly bother acroporas....

 

[blennybabe]

White or white with pink or red are usually safe. be careful of them multiplying. if they have a few short legs then they have just cloned themselves. they are pretty common.

 

[shootonsite]

Looks similar to the polyp feeding starfish on garf.org. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[karlas]

there are a lot of different kinds of small starfish like this. i saw the ones on garf and they do look like them but those are more of a brown these are more white. most of them are algal grazers or detrivores and only a few are not reef safe.
varible i got my<a href="http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/prod_refu.html" target="_blank">fauna kit</a> from IA. they also have a <a href="http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/prod_detrit.html" target="_blank">detrivore kit</a> the main difference b/w the 2 is the det kit has bristle worms where the fauna has more pods and mysis. you can also have extras added to the kit.
another good place is <a href="http://www.ipsf.com/" target="_blank">IPSF</a> i never got anything from here but heard a lot of good things about them

 

[crazyelvis]

Thanks for all the info... I am gonig to let him go and watch my polyps and corals ... If I catch him touching them he is gone... If I don't he can stay...

 

[nm reef]

I have seen and read the article at garf....and I tell ya what...if the ones in my system were coral munchers...well then my corals would be gone or going and them lil coral munchin stars would be huge!!!
However...the corals seem fine and the stars are just part of the fauna/diversity in my system. Diversity by the way that was not purchased from a site but just developed on its own!! Before I'd order kits to diversify my systems I'd check into getting some of the crud/rubble from the bottom of tanks used to cure LR.....great source of micro fauna/pods/critters....and way less expensive than buying the same items from a on-line retailor!!

 

[aznxcheapbasta3]

GET RID OF THEM I SAID!! GET THEM OFF!! U WILL GLAD TO GET IT OFF BECAUSE BEFORE U KNO IT...IT WILL START TO EAT UR CORAL LIKE CRAZY AND U CANT STOP IT BECAUSE IT IS DIVIDING FAST!!! I SAY U GET SOME SPECIAL AGENT TO GET RID OF THEM..THE HARLINEQUIN SHRIMP!! THEY EAT NOTHING BUT STARFISHES... THESE LITTLE STARFISH IS VERY HARMFUL AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE BEFORE IT DESTROY UR REEF TANK!!! THIS IS SEROUS MAN....DO SOMETING! <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />

 

[sheni_angel]

Looks like the shape of a Chocolate Chip to me. And all that are shaped like that are not reef safe, at least I think. I'd say remove for safety.

 

[dinhouse]

I think you should get rid of it. I have researched them on Garf and they eat coral. I pick them out of my tank all the time!

 

[crazyelvis]

I have decided to remove him next time I see him... Haven't seen him since I took the photo.. But when he comes back , he gets sucked up in the baster!!!
Thanks for all the advice, I decided to be safe and not risk any corals...

 

[richard rendos]

Everything I hav read says that these are coral eaters. Mainly acros is what they eat, but I would get rid of it.

 

[aznxcheapbasta3]

I would strongly recommand you to get some harlequin shrimps crazy...these little coral star fish dividing like crazy....i think only harlequin shrimps can track them down and eat all of them one by one... remeber harlequin shrimps can only buy in pair or single... well i wish you good luck

 

[crazyelvis]

Will harlequin shrimp also eat brittle and serpant stars????
Also do they eat anything else, or will they die once the stars are gone?