Asterina wega, Info on nuisance sea stars please

[katyttt]

Can anyone give advice on these stars,
I picked up a nice 55 with lots of L/R, a 4 x 64w PC light, 404 fluval, 150 and 200 Biowheels, Prizm skimmer, and many little (1/2 inch or smaller, with uneven arms) hitchikers.

I have read conflicting reports about these, the tank came with 2 Cleaner Shrimp (each have green eggs and both have filled the tank with tiny baby shrimp once over the last week), 1 Coral banded Shrimp, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Pajama Cardinal, 2 Brittle Stars, Star polyps, tons of blue/purple mushrooms, cleaner clam, various snails.

Thanks again,

Chris

[Freed]

I have thousands of them. They won't hurt a thing. You will want to get rid of the coral banded shrimp. It is an opportunistic feeder and will catch your fish and eat em. If the brittle starts are green they will eat fish as well.

[Freed]

Cleaner clam?

[thejrc]

I've yet to see or hear of any accounts of a healthy coral banded shrimp eating a fish if the tank is fed properly but they are opportunistic feeders for sure.

As far as the brittle stars if they are the tiny micro brittles you'll be fine. If it's a big green "death star" it will try and prey on slow moving and sleeping fish (wrasses, etc).

[Zooid]

Freed,
Yeah, saltwaterfish.com sells cleaner clams. I think they are just ugly clams that people put in their refugiums. They supposedly help lower nitrates.

[Freed]

Just read a thread yesterday(?) of someone who had a coral banded catch and eat their small blue hippo tang, so yeah it happens.

[spstimie]

a reefer i know said you can get cleaner clams at the grocery store. might have to take a look.

[rkl303]

I know there are plenty of clams from the grocery...just wondering if they are capable of surviving in reef temps.

[jonthefb]

Check out:

http://www.rmrc.info/mambo/index.php...d=299&catid=17

and this one as well!

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=704706

Hope this helps!

cheers~!
jon

[katyttt]

Thanks everyone, most of the info i have found is totally conflicting, some say "Fine, no prob", some "They are the worst coral eating #*#@@@^$* you can ever find.
Also quite a few bristleworms, some even 4-6" long, what do you think about a Arrow Crab?

Thanks again,
Chris

[jonthefb]

Arrow crabs work well at eating smaller bristleworms, but usually wont go after larger ones. they have very fine claws that work well for reaching into the nooks and crannies in live rock to pull bristle worms out. However, arrow crabs grow large very quickly, and as they get larger, have the possibility to take down small fish, so just be wary.

cheers~!
jon

[rkl303]

Copperband if you have bristles you want to to get rid of otherwise harelquin shrimp for stars although you can't keep the nice stars afterwards.

[artful-dodger]

I've kept coral banded shrimp for 20+ years and have never seen anything that even hinted at them taking down a fish of any kind. This is the first I've ever heard anyone suggest it...I'll bet somebody had a fish die and the CBS found it before the keeper.

Now, an arrow crab will do some damage...they will kill and eat just about any other invert (they Loooove little shrimpies!)

[chadscharf]

I'll bet somebody had a fish die and the CBS found it before the keeper.

I'd have to agree with Gary on this one. My coral banded is HUGE and doesn't bother the fish, even the small ones, but when a fish does bite it, he's the first one there to start "cleaning up" before the fish decays. They're great for that, especially if you have snails or other small invertabrates, fish, or worms die, the coral banded will clean up, often before you even see a nitrate spike or notice the critter missing. But this is the first I've heard of them supposedly attacking a fish.

The bristle worms will do much of the same (clean up dead things and leftover food). If they get too big for comfort though I've always pulled them out with tweezers, of for a heavier infestation, simply dunk your rock in bucket or tub of freshwater and shake it vigorously for couple of minutes, then set it down in the water, within 5 minutes or so a large number of them will have swam out of the holes in the rock, into the bucket, then they're perfect toilet or protected refugium (where they can't get back into the main return pump) fodder!

[tkeracer619]

Asternias can eat zoanthids, they do a great job at it too.

I would pick off every one of them you see.

[katyttt]

Something in the tank is stripping off the purple crust of my star polyps, the only thing I have seen on it was one otf these little stars, I know it is not proof, but certainly looks bad for their defense counsel.

Chris

[G.SMITHII]

Originally posted by tkeracer619
Asternias can eat zoanthids, they do a great job at it too.

I would pick off every one of them you see.

i think i got mine from you!!!!! aquatic crabs ill tell ya whut!!!

i think imagonna get a harelquin next time my mantis molts, and just hope he can do enough damage to the star population before he hets eaten...

[chadscharf]

lol, I remember my wife and daughter eagerly forcing me to take dozens of these little pests from a tank as I was picking up some clams because they were "...so cute". THANKS HONEY!

[tkeracer619]

Indeed, I also spent a long time erraticating them. I didn't really have many of them in my frag tank, just tons in the display.