Question about new live rock I just got.

newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
So I just got a bunch of live rock and I set it up in the tank, looks beautiful and was delivered to the house from the local fish store.


However there are a bunch of little things all on the sides of the bucket and some on the bottom of the bucket.


They are about the size of an eraser and have multiple arms... they look like baby starfish, they are dark in color.


I would take a picture but it wouldnt come out well
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
Well before I throw a bunch of creatures in my tank I was hoping to at least get a guess. I don't know what else they could be.
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
Honestly after thinking it over I'd love a recommendation on a fish that eats baby starfish if possible.


I didn't put any in the tank but if any got in through the live rock which im sure they did and I don't want them in there.
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
Sorry I didn't see your post!

Yeah after googling the name I agree that they are black asterina starfish, and I have a bunch of them.


However the problem is I don't want them, I plan to buy some corals soon and my tank isn't that big, I'm sure they'll affect the corals in a negative way.

Honestly now I plan to buy a Harlequin Shrimp for the ones that made it in my tank, and I don't know what to do with the starfish in the bucket, I have about 15 of them and I don't want them.
 
tonysi

tonysi

Member
The shrimp will eat them but once they are all gone he isn't gonna have any food left , seeing that they only eat starfish. But hey you can always sell him back to the store. As for the stars you have have in the bucket just flush em.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by newtofish1994 http:///t/397234/question-about-new-live-rock-i-just-got#post_3540063
Sorry I didn't see your post!

Yeah after googling the name I agree that they are black asterina starfish, and I have a bunch of them.


However the problem is I don't want them, I plan to buy some corals soon and my tank isn't that big, I'm sure they'll affect the corals in a negative way.

Honestly now I plan to buy a Harlequin Shrimp for the ones that made it in my tank, and I don't know what to do with the starfish in the bucket, I have about 15 of them and I don't want them.

Hi,

If they are microstars (looks like tiny serpent stars) they are 100% beneficial and won't hurt your corals at all. They only feed on wasted food, and live in the rock. They also stay teeny tiny. I would love to have them...I can pay shipping if you will send them to me...




This is an astera starfish, and I have never seen a black one...they don't bother coral either.
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
Well my starfish dont look nearly as thick as those seen in your second picture, its hard to count the arms because they are so tiny or to even take a picture.

checking on them today it seems that More and more seem to be climbing up the bucket to reach the top of the water level for some reason.


They look like mini black starfish though. and they tend to stick to the sides of the bucket or to the bottom, I can also locate one or two in my aquarium facing down on the sand bed.


Looking closer I also see the white ones but there are more black ones.


but mine are a lot closer to looking like your second picture.
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
After researching around, this is the closest I can find that looks like my starfish, and apparently this is the bad kind.

http://www.garf.org/Star/starfish.html


Most of mine are dark, and I can count 6 arms instead of 5.


I have a few white 5 armed ones... however most are dark with 6 arms but are still darker then the ones see in the link.



Just to back track a bit are we sure that if I didnt freeze the room where my tank is by opening up a few windows I could kill the starfish in my tank without actually killing all the life in there? the temps here could drop the water down to 45 - 50 easy and in no time at all. It would be a fast temp drop which I'd assume would kill the starfish and I really don't want them here, I can save the ones in the bucket but I dont want the ones alive in the tank and im sure they are inside the live rocks too.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you go with the odds your starfish are probably harmless. There are species that will eat corals but we don't often get them in the hobby. I would definitely keep an eye on them once you get corals but I'd suggest calling them innocent until caught in the act.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by newtofish1994 http:///t/397234/question-about-new-live-rock-i-just-got#post_3540112
Is that decimal a mistake? lol
Nope.

Those stars and tiny critters are what you are buying when you purchase LR (along with all the beneficial bacteria contained in the nooks and crannies). I have never sees tiny stars for sale by themselves, but if they were sold, I'd bet they would sell for a dime a dozen (so, less than a penny a piece, lol).

If stars like this are giving you cause for concern, just wait until you find your first bristleworm. Those things look freaky.

I would not sweat the stars... Like Bang Guy said chances are that they are beneficial or at least not harmful. HTH's Good luck with the new tank!!
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///t/397234/question-about-new-live-rock-i-just-got#post_3540116
Nope.

Those stars and tiny critters are what you are buying when you purchase LR (along with all the beneficial bacteria contained in the nooks and crannies). I have never sees tiny stars for sale by themselves, but if they were sold, I'd bet they would sell for a dime a dozen (so, less than a penny a piece, lol).

If stars like this are giving you cause for concern, just wait until you find your first bristleworm. Those things look freaky.

I would not sweat the stars... Like Bang Guy said chances are that they are beneficial or at least not harmful. HTH's Good luck with the new tank!!

Thanks for the info on the pricing, also its not that they are giving me cause for concern by their looks, infact I actually am interested in this hobby only for the creepy looking creatures, the star fish, worms, anglers, eels, octopus, things that look odd. I just wanted to tackle the problem now if there was even a 1% chance they could affect the corals


Because down the road this tank will only be for coral breeding.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
There is a greater than 1% chance that they will affect corals. There's also a greater than 50% chance that they will benefit corals. I see you point though. They are just not that difficult to get rid of if they prove undesirable.

I used to sell Asterina for about a buck apiece... just fyi
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by newtofish1994 http:///t/397234/question-about-new-live-rock-i-just-got#post_3540118

Thanks for the info on the pricing, also its not that they are giving me cause for concern by their looks, infact I actually am interested in this hobby only for the creepy looking creatures, the star fish, worms, anglers, eels, octopus, things that look odd. I just wanted to tackle the problem now if there was even a 1% chance they could affect the corals


Because down the road this tank will only be for coral breeding.
Gotcha!!

Yeah, I would not worry one bit about those stars. What kind of corals are you planning on breeding (SPS, LPS, Zoa's,)? What kind of lights are you running? What kind of filtration do you run? If you like the weird looking critters than inverts might be your thing. There are also some weird looking corals you could keep (check out NPS Coral {Non-Photosynthetic corals}). What size tank is this again?? If its big enough you could do a few different things at once.
Good Luck!!! Happy Reefing!!
 
newtofish1994

newtofish1994

Member
Well the main purpose I am getting into this hobby is to try to breed corals and fish down the road. The tank I have is only a 10 gallon because I bought it on impulse not knowing it would be harder to maintain then a larger tank.


Since investing in the tank I have sparked some more interest across my family, so now my fiancee wants me to invest in a 75 gallon for us which I think is a great idea.


However I already have the 10 gallon set up, with the live rock, and a good sand bed.. I don't want to just waste what I have.


So my plan is for it to house baby corals, like mushrooms, nano corals, aquacultured LPS corals with the 10 gallon, and the 75 gallon will be home to larger corals and aggressive fish.

Does anyone have any suggestions or any opinions on my idea?


Edit: Also thanks to moderator and sweater for helping out with the starfish question, I will keep them for this moment.


I also purchased an aftermarket filter, the 10 gallon came with some annoyingly loud and crappy filter that I replaced with a quietflow 30 which i love, and the lighting is just some light that came with the tank that has a day mode and a night mode, however since upgrading the filter I had to remove the lid, which housed a spot to put the light. So currently the light is sitting on my table not in use.
 
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