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Is this a bad guy


Joshifer

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I have some that are white with a small amount of red and brown on their backs. I have found them on my zoas and GSP numerous times, so now I have been removing them. I am usually all for keeping a tank natural, but these are no longer welcome :0/ If we set up a pest tank I would keep some in that, but not in my display. And they do multiply FAST. Started with 7-10 and have now removed dozens.

 

On the same topic, how does everyone dispose of unwanted creatures like these? I want to be humane about it, but what does that consist of?

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I have some that are white with a small amount of red and brown on their backs. I have found them on my zoas and GSP numerous times, so now I have been removing them. I am usually all for keeping a tank natural, but these are no longer welcome :0/ If we set up a pest tank I would keep some in that, but not in my display. And they do multiply FAST. Started with 7-10 and have now removed dozens.

 

On the same topic, how does everyone dispose of unwanted creatures like these? I want to be humane about it, but what does that consist of?

I'll leave him alone I done have zoas. And I think people just flush them. Cutting them doesn't kill them they regen

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I have some that are white with a small amount of red and brown on their backs. I have found them on my zoas and GSP numerous times, so now I have been removing them. I am usually all for keeping a tank natural, but these are no longer welcome :0/ If we set up a pest tank I would keep some in that, but not in my display. And they do multiply FAST. Started with 7-10 and have now removed dozens.

 

On the same topic, how does everyone dispose of unwanted creatures like these? I want to be humane about it, but what does that consist of?

Well, to at least complete the circle of life, some people either buy a harlequin shrimp or give the stars to someone who has a harlequin shrimp. Not sure how humane that is per say, but at least it is putting them to use.

Edited by Squishie89
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Asterina star. I consider them a pest, personally and remove them. There's been a long debate on whether or not they injure corals. Some seem to. Others don't. Then, there have been cases where they don't but, for some reason, turn and become a problem. You need only search the web for a variety of stories. The first reference I found about them being a problem was from GARF.org back in 2001. LeRoy Headlee has since passed, but his page lives on here.

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Well, to at least complete the circle of life, some people either buy a harlequin shrimp or give the stars to someone who has a harlequin shrimp. Not sure how humane that is per say, but at least it is putting them to use.

 

Circle of life is right but apparently harlequin shrimp murder these guys in a pretty brutal fashion. I can't remember the exact details but I think they eat off all the feet of the starfish while keeping it alive over a period of days. 

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Circle of life is right but apparently harlequin shrimp murder these guys in a pretty brutal fashion. I can't remember the exact details but I think they eat off all the feet of the starfish while keeping it alive over a period of days.

Reminds me of my family.

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I believe there is a species of them that eat healthy zoas but they are rare and I have never had one. I have seen them munching only dead or dying zoas (rarely will I get sick zoas but if I do they show up quick). They clean up the mess thank goodness. They won't touch the healthy ones but sometimes scoot around in them looking for food. So my conclusion after watching the hundreds of them in my tank for years.....sometimes people start to lose their zoas, the stars show up to clean the dead material and the aquarist blames them for causing the problem. At least 100-200 asterina stars live in my tank at all times.....1751ba0b32562f505871c4a6ddf5d049.jpg

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited by gmerek2
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I gave someone about a couple hundred of them in the spring. There are still a lot of them in my system.

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I have hundreds of them they don't bother any of my zoas I wish they would. I got them just to eat zoas now I have hundreds...I don't find them to be a pest I actually like them. They clean the rocks and sand. A+ in my book

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I'd like to have a media starfish, because they eat asterinas but will also eat other foods. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find.

Edited by treesprite
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I'd like to have a media starfish, because they eat asterinas but will also eat other foods. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find.

I want an orange or red fromia but I read they don't live long in captivity. Blue link's hide so it's like why even have one.

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Aarg! That was supposed to be NARDOA starfish. I didn't realize that stupid new phone I have changed my word. Using my laptop now.

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/3/gallery

Edited by treesprite
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I had them in an older tank. They started multiplying and I didn't want to find out if they would be a pest. If I saw but one, I would immediately pick it out with tweezers. They seem to come out more so at night. It wasn't that much trouble and after 2 or 3 months the last was gone.

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I had them in an older tank. They started multiplying and I didn't want to find out if they would be a pest. If I saw but one, I would immediately pick it out with tweezers. They seem to come out more so at night. It wasn't that much trouble and after 2 or 3 months the last was gone.

Lucky you.

 

I used to have some cream colored ones which seemed harmless. Then these fatter ones with gray/black on their backs came along, and after a while the other ones dwindled in population to extinction.

 

These are wretched things, sticking themselves to zooanthids and they hold on much tighter to zoa's than the do to glass or rock. They very specifically go on zooanthids, and do not ever touch palys. I have never seen them on SPS, and only on the lower part of LPS skeletons that isn't flesh covered. But I love zoanthids.

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