Tiny white star on glass....

tekisui

tekisui

Member
Today, when cleaning the tank, I noticed dozens of little white star-like creatures on the glass. They are white, the size of a period and have legs varying in length, 4-6 each. ANy idea?
 
newt5005

newt5005

New Member
Had a large number of these also. Took out almost 2 dozen and less than a week later, have almost that many in the tank (90 gal acrylic).
Do they self multiply, have some sort of a Queen, etc, what's the deal with these. They crawl the sides at night, then when the lights come on, they all migrate into the crushed coral and dissapear until the next day.
If left unchecked, could they multiply out of control or what?
Tank has been established w/live rock & fish for several years
mike
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
I thought hydroids for a second too... but they consistently should have 8 tentacles of the variety we often see. There are some with more but they should at least be even numbers if they have more than 8.
Do any have less than 8. I haven't seen any, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.
 
R

russwlw2004

Guest
my LFS told me that a leg will fall off one of them and that leg becomes a new starfish, i too have them and notice new ones every now and than.
 
newt5005

newt5005

New Member
They have 6 legs, but they are anything but legs, as a starfish would have. They are just more than round. The perimiter, between "points" would best be described as swoops, rather than arms.
I have no ability to provide a picture.
mike
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I have them from time to time in my tank. They do multiply rapidly and I usually remove as many as I can. Some people will say they're fine, others will say remove them immediately, I honestly don't know if they're good/bad/beneficial, I just don't want a ton of them in my tank so I just get rid of what I see.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Originally Posted by newt5005
http:///forum/post/3143855
They have 6 legs, but they are anything but legs, as a starfish would have. They are just more than round. The perimiter, between "points" would best be described as swoops, rather than arms.
I have no ability to provide a picture.
mike

These are hydroid pics. And they are smaller than a grain of sand... Is this what you have?...

 
T

tizzo

Guest
Here's two other kinds. The pics are blown up to large and grainy, but you get the gist...
Some have more legs...some have less.%%

 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
PM coming your way!
Oh snap... I've never seen them with odd numbered legs... I'm counting that right, aren't I. Your third pic in.....
 
newt5005

newt5005

New Member
Again, sorry for not having the ability to provide a picture.....
Looks nothing like the shots in the previous posts.
Total size, just smaller in diameter than a standard pencil eraser.
From the top, looks simular to what a Bunt pan would look like if were that size (remember the 70's?), except not slick. From the bottom, appears to look like a starfish through the glass (acrylic) in small detail, without any legs, just small stubs. Lies completly flat to the glass.
If I can find a camera, I'll take a shot, but no guanentees I can figure out how to get it on the site. I can barely figure out how to recieve a FAX.
mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top