LIVE ROCK HELP - Asterinia?

jwill275

Member
The LR in my tank has turned very, very white. The tank is a 125 gal; Nova Extreme Pro T5 lights (four months old); protien skimmer, phosban reactor 3 months; three Korilla power heads, water parameters; changed 65 gal over the last five weeks, use RODI; no amonia,nitrite, nitrate. dkh-8; salt 1.025, calcium 380-400; magnesium 1240; ph 8.3; temp 79-80.
The tank has a Yellow Tang, Hippo Tang, splendid dottyback; flame hawkfish, tomato clown. I have xenia, kenya tree and mushroom anemones all doing very Well!, I also have some stony corals growng and a zoanthid that looks like crap lately.
I find dozens of sea stars on my glass and I believe they may be responsible for my rock and zoas being irritated. Has anyone had this problem? Am I correct in assuming the sea stars are responsible? How can I get rid of them???
Thanks


 

errattiq

Member
sea stars aren't your problem my friend, you have something in there that's out competing your coralline algae for food....Do anything different to your tank lately? Having or recently had an algae bloom or outbreak? Either way, relax, the purple will return...Coralline is known to leach and return on occasion.
 

maryg

Member
I had some red hermit crabs in my tank that did it to my rock. They came as hitchikers. I sat and watched them pry off the coraline with thier little claws. Got rid of those guys!
 

sng

Member
I had a few baby sea star in my tank, they multiply like crazy and are all over my live rocks. They are the cause of my coral line going away.
 

gatorwpb

Active Member
asterina stars do seem to bother zoos but as far as I can tell dont eat them. I do see them crawl over the zoos and the zoos close up, but nothing else happens that I can tell.
If you get too many, just start taking them out and tossing them.
 

candycane

Active Member
Based on your water parameters, I would probably think it is a combination of heat and light. How old is the rock also? Was it recently purchased and placed in the tank; like sometime within the last 5 weeks?
 

natclanwy

Active Member
I have tons of asterina stars and none bother my coraline, also have a dozen or so red leg hermits that don't bother the coraline either. I have gone through similar cycles where all of coraline bleaches out but it has always came back in a few months.
 
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