SeaStars? yes or no

[EleganceMan]

i have a thousand little white seastars that are starting to overtake my reef 125gal. Do these things eat some corals...i think that one larger one has been eating on my braccali coral. these little buggers range form 1/4inch to almost an inch. should i get a harlequin shrimp to help fight them off or leave them be?

[Underwaterparadise]

I have heard of them eating corals but have not seen it. I have them as well and occasionly just take them out and throw them in a fuge or sump.

No on the Harlequin, IMO they don't belong in the hobby.

[Anemonebuff]

Asternia. most are good. Some can be bad. Remove them if necessary.

[EleganceMan]

why no harlequin?

[highquality]

are they the thin long leggeg or the fat nubbed stars?

[Anemonebuff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7549245#post7549245 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EleganceMan
why no harlequin?

They need seastars/starfish as food. It is difficult to maintain a population large enough to keep them healthy.

[Underwaterparadise]

And you should never depend on your LFS to have more in stock so you can keep them fed ;)

[nathan_unsane]

what if you live in a area where there is 4-5 lfs?

ive thought about buying a couple, but i like starfish too, so i decided against it...

my red general is one of the coolest guys in my tank, one of the hardest to take care of also...