Baby starfish?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2999
Printed Date: February 20 2025 at 4:31am
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Topic: Baby starfish?
Posted By: Skyetone
Subject: Baby starfish?
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 6:40am
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So I get home from the meeting ...... star raising all kinds a mess with my tank so I can put these cool new frags in cool spots. Well My xeniea frag desided it didn't want to be pinned between the two rocks I first desided it was to be.... So I end up tearing the tank apart and find my decorator crab dead.... Well after the mess clears fairly well, I look and this TINY ,pure white guy is on my glass. It is alive, he fell and then I held him close......... to the glasss........ and he grabbed on again. I did dump a few of the waters from the frags into my tank, I just removed two CCstars like two days ago that have been in there for months....... So, is someone else breeding, or am I? How do I tell? ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Replies:
Posted By: jfinch
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 7:11am
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Those stars are pretty common and I think they breed through division rather then "normal" reproduction. But I'm not really sure. They don't really get much bigger then your picture. There is a fairly common belief that they are coral (sps in general) eaters. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but when I see one I do remove it. ------------- Jon https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6y_EzjI_ljbIwf2n5uNzTw" rel="nofollow - What I've been doing... |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 7:41am
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I agree with Jon on all that. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 8:31am
They were Xenia eaters in my tank at one time  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 8:37am
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I've heard a couple of people say that they have them with no problems. Steve Lopez has them, and so does Diana. Hopefully they will post here. I don't have any, but hope to. If they promise not to eat my SPS!! ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 8:44am
| I found one in my tank for the first time recently. I gave it to my son. I'm not sure what he did with it. But its not in my tank! Better safe than sorry. |
Posted By: Jamison
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 10:10am
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Consensus is that they are not reef safe and will reproduce like mad. I would remove any that you come across. If you're really attached to it, get rid of it anyway, you'll find another one soon. I've probably removed 5 from my tank. ------------- Educate. Inspire. Conserve. http://[email protected] |
Posted By: reptoreef
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 12:09pm
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I got a few... well... lots. I have seen them on come sps, but no damage when they move. I have seen them damaging toadstool sarco's, though. IMO, they reproduce quite often so do what you choose. As for me, I'm gonna start pickin' mine when on the glass and giving them the royal flush... Better safe than sorry, I guess. ------------- www.captivereefing.com |
Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 12:15pm
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They're just so little... their mouth (or is it mouths?) has to be tiny. How much damage could a couple of them in a 250g do? That's a serious question, cuz I'd like to have one or two. It seems like they're happy to hang out on the glass, so they must get nutrition by cleaning it. ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |
Posted By: reptoreef
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 12:19pm
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Sure. 'nuff... hey I got lots ranging from very small to about 3/4 inch... want some??? ------------- www.captivereefing.com |
Posted By: ssilcox
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 1:04pm
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Hey Renee - that is the problem with them. Depending on the tank, you can start with two and end up with 100. They split like MAD. I got some as a science project for my little sister when they were studying different types of reproduction. She kept hers in a mason jar. She started with like 10 - after a week or so she had 20+. One teency tiny star might not hurt a 250... but 150 could! |
Posted By: peregrinus
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 1:25pm
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I'v had them for years in my tanks never had a problem with them... ssilcox are those the ones you got from me?? ------------- In Clearfield Quantum mechanics the dreams stuff is made of. |
Posted By: flashmc
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 1:59pm
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I believe they are SPS eating seastars, GARF has some info on them. Check out the links below: http://www.garf.org/news26p2.html#STAR http://www.garf.org/STAR/starfish.html Robert |
Posted By: Connie
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 2:48pm
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Renee, I put them off all the time... If you really want some there yours.... ------------- I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them. 180 gallon money pit that I love..... |
Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 2:58pm
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Oh, NO ! I just read that article from Garf. Ugh. Looks like they're bad. I tend to go with the balanced approach - got flatworms; get a sixline wrasse. Got algae, reduce food and light (while keeping an eye on things), etc. Looks like I shouldn't ask for any little seastars. Thanks for the offers, though!! Renee |
Posted By: Suzy
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 3:48pm
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Guys, I wonder if these guys have gotten a bad rap. I've had them for
years and never seen them picking at anything. I do pull them out when I see one, then I go months without seeing one, then one appears. I've only seen them on the glass or rocks. I've seen tanks with tons of them with SPS and softies..... I wonder if they're like bristle worms. Once, we thought they were evil ( Which I still do, 'cause they look way too snake-like for me! Yuck!) but now, people say they ate good! I wonder if they are like hermits, eating tissue that has turned south anyway...... I do think they can get out of control, though so if they are in an easy spot to get, I pull him out. If now, I let him go..... I stuck one in my nano to see if the eat hydroids. Haven't seen him since. I'll let you know if I catch him munching something. |
Posted By: peregrinus
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 4:20pm
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the only time i pulled any out of my tanks was to give some to ssilcox they have not got out of control have not ate corals. are there different types of these stars maybe? ------------- In Clearfield Quantum mechanics the dreams stuff is made of. |
Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 4:24pm
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so is he a baby CCstar? Or something different. ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 5:34pm
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Skyetone, No its not a baby, that is a full grown star. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: July 16 2004 at 11:32pm
WTF? adam have you lost it? the thing had three of at least 5 legs.. Looked like it wanted 6 legs. so will he be covered in next months meeting? ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Posted By: chrisslc
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 5:36am
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Adam's right, full grown, keep watching, you'll see many more, all with ill formed numbers of legs, all about that same size. ------------- Murray, Utah just north of the park. "It's all the same to the clam" -Shel Silverstein |
Posted By: Skyetone
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 7:44am
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well at least they are true white and are seen easy..... So I am breeding them in theory? How small are the newborns? pods? Will the crabs eat them? ------------- I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it. Magna |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 8:20am
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The reason it has those funny length legs is because the stars will simply split. It will just divide into a star with 3 legs and another star with 2 legs. Then it will start growing back the missing legs, which is why you see those little stubby legs. Adam (and I'm not losing it..... I've already lost it) ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 8:40am
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Skyetone, Check out flashmc 's post in this thread. It's got a link to an article from Garf. It explains that splitting thing. It's interesting! Renee |
Posted By: ssilcox
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 9:00am
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The couple that I have found in my tank I only saw because they were on the glass. The other side looked like it was covered in coralline - it had the same colors and everything. Ugh! I dont think I could have seen them on the rock. So keep an eye out - there may be more than you can see. |
Posted By: tileman
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 9:02am
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I pick three or four out of my tank every other week ------------- 335G Reef TOTM. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012 http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month & |
Posted By: Crazy Tarzan
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 10:42am
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I pull them out on a regular basis from my tank. I have about 60 dried ones decorating a section of my stand... I've pulled the biggest ones I had off some sponges that were under a rock--they were about double the size of the others, and were the color of the sponges. I've noticed lots of them around my GSP too, so I play it safe and pull them out when I see them. If I get lazy and don't pull them out I start to see them more often so... ------------- Was that in there yesterday? Casper--WY windier than ? Down to a 20, soon to double or nothing |
Posted By: leviwin
Date Posted: July 17 2004 at 11:26pm
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Get a Harlequin Shrimp. They have a specific diet of starfish, but I think they would die once they eat all the starfish.
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: July 18 2004 at 9:40am
Those stars will eat whatever tastes best to them. As is the case with all our tank inhabitants, they will move on to other foods when their favorite is gone! Don't ignore them, or allow them to proliferate. It doesn't take long for a mild concern to mutate into something bigger 
It's just like fire. A controlled campfire is nice and attractive. A wildfire burns all the good wood! Many species of shrimp have been known to eat stars. Hunger is one of the strongest driving forces. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: July 18 2004 at 10:44am
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Is that Harlequin sitting on the arm of a seastar? That would be a big buffet meal for him. What a beautiful shrimp! I hope somebody can give you little stars for him to eat. Did you name your Harlequin? ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |