zoa eating asterina star fish
- Thread starter sushi man
- Start date
onyx
Member
Are you positive its the asterina stars? I only ask because, while I have heard of several similar cases, I personally have hundreds of asterinas in my 55 Gal. and they have never bothered anything. However, there are several different species so it is quite possible that your asterina stars are to blame.
1. Don't buy a harlequin shrimp, they don't always have a taste for asterinas. Plus they may eat any other sea star species you have and, if the starfish ever run out, the shrimp will starve.
2. Have you seen the stars actually on the polyps? Sometimes they can be aggressive towards zoas but, if another factor is killing the coral, the stars may simply be feeding on the already dying flesh.
I guess the best thing to do is move the zoas if possible and definately remove any asterinas that you see on or around the coral. They multiply so fast it would be hard to ever remove them all.
I have also read that asterinas may be more inclined to eat zoas when their population reaches a certain density within a tank. It may not be true, but if you are concerned about them becoming a serious problem, physically removing the visible ones is a good start. Hope this helps,
Mike.
1. Don't buy a harlequin shrimp, they don't always have a taste for asterinas. Plus they may eat any other sea star species you have and, if the starfish ever run out, the shrimp will starve.
2. Have you seen the stars actually on the polyps? Sometimes they can be aggressive towards zoas but, if another factor is killing the coral, the stars may simply be feeding on the already dying flesh.
I guess the best thing to do is move the zoas if possible and definately remove any asterinas that you see on or around the coral. They multiply so fast it would be hard to ever remove them all.
I have also read that asterinas may be more inclined to eat zoas when their population reaches a certain density within a tank. It may not be true, but if you are concerned about them becoming a serious problem, physically removing the visible ones is a good start. Hope this helps,
Mike.
rebelprettyboy
Active Member
I thought the greenback asterinas ate Corals?
But yeah there are some asterinas that eat corals
And not all will eat zoas. Ive taken out at least 150+ in my 14 gal tank, and they havent ever touched my zoas
But yeah there are some asterinas that eat corals
And not all will eat zoas. Ive taken out at least 150+ in my 14 gal tank, and they havent ever touched my zoas
sushi man
Member
its asterina star fish for sure.. i take out as much posible but that star fish multiply like crazy.. every time i see them wrap their tentacles around the polyp, as soon they moved, the zoa just look funny. and the next day the polyp just melted. some zoa they are not touch, like neon green dragon eyes.. they only like the expensive one..
