[Kimjo1]

Hi Ev1,

I think this has been covered BUT cant seem to search for it! I have those tiny tiny starfish all over the place... I keep wiping them off of the glass... these are bad right? They r the ones that are small and start with like 2 or 3 legs.. look like sand sifting star color.... some have 5 legs...... They are such a nucience because they are all over the place!

Thnka a bunch, Kim

[Kimjo1]

SORRY I FOUND SEARCH AND FOUND THIS INFO ON THESE BUGGERS!! EV1 SHOULD READ IF THEY WANT TO KNOW =)
KIM



You will often notice this small starfish on the glass just above the sand. This predatory starfish can be distinguished because it often has two or four shorter legs. During the last year we have been noticing a new starfish in our reef aquariums and it seemed to be dividing. Several people noticed this type of starfish in their aquariums and they have wondered if they were harmful. Well the small, flat, large body starfish are definitely harmful to SPS corals.



LeRoy Headlee

One of the first things that we noticed about the starfish was the different length of the legs on almost every member of this group. After some detective work we were able to find these predatory starfish eating several types of small polyp stony corals. The starfish are approximately 1 in. long and they often have seven legs.

When the starfish is ready to divide all the legs will be about the same length. The starfish then starts to split across the disk leaving each new starfish with from three to five legs. The starfish seem to be able to grow very fast and they rapidly populate an entire aquarium.


The starfish then find SPS corals to feed on. It is hard to find these starfish because they are able to camouflage themselves among the coral branches. It is very common to find two of the same size starfish feeding on the same coral.
When the starfish attack a Stylophora fragment they can eat all the polyps in one day. The other coral that they seem to attack is the Pocillopora. If you have been noticing large white patches on your SPS corals you may have an infestation of these predatory starfish.





These types of starfish often arrive on Fiji live rock. This is another good reason to quarantine live rock before you add it to your reef aquarium. If you have seen this type of starfish in your aquarium already, you'll need to find them, and finding them can be quite a problem. Of course it is easiest to remove them when they're crawling on the glass. If you see the starfish do not put off collecting them because once they are on the rocks they are very hard to see.



The most effective tool for removing these predatory starfish is a pair of 12-inch long stainless steel tweezers. These tweezers are one of the most important tools that we use in our coral farm. The best place we have found to buy tweezers is a used tool store. Each year at the Idaho State Fair there is a booth that sells magnifying glasses, scissors, and carving tools.
The tweezers that I like best are made in Pakistan and they cost about $9. Several people told me at that in their part of the country there are large flea markets and they have found these tweezers for as little as $4 each.

[graveyardworm]

That information came from GARF, and for whatever reason people have decided that all tiny starfish which fall under their description are bad and coral eaters when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. More than likely the starfish you are seeing are common asterina seastars, usually come in as hitchikers, and are harmless grazers. If you see them gathering arund a coral and the coral is obviously suffering from it then yes you may have the predatory ones, but otherwise leave them and be happy, they are doing you a service.

[WhatReef]

i have noticed 2 small stars with diferent length legs on them they are skin colored and seem to move pretty quick i hope they arent bad

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by WhatReef

i have noticed 2 small stars with diferent length legs on them they are skin colored and seem to move pretty quick i hope they arent bad

Yeah I noticed one that looked like his leg was missing in my tank and saw two more with six legs? They are sort of a yellowish to tannish color as well. Any way to tell if these are bad?

[unclejed]

I had an outbreak of those one time. I mean there were hundreds of them! They are harmless but kept getting into the filter (happened in 10 gal.) and over ran the tank. LFS suggested a Harlequin Shrimp. I put one in and within a week or so 90% were gone! I couldn't believe it. After another week.....nothing! Now, here is the mystery. I saw the shrimp 1 or 2 times after that, say in a two week period and never saw it again!