Were they problematic? Maybe add them to your sump.
Wont they just get sucked back into the tank? As far as problematic I'm not 100% as I've been having water issues lately so I can't really point the finger at them.
Asterina's are known to eat corralline algae. They also irritate some corals when grazing on the corralline. Other than that, they're pretty harmless.
They reproduce rapidly so if you want them gone, keep plucking them out and check daily for a week or two after you think you got the last one out.
I thought I seen one it a small mushroom I had on a frag once(mushroom was there, seen starfish on it, Mushroom is gone) but not 100%. I've also thought about adding a harliquin shrimp, but I also have a red/orange linkia and do not want him to be killed.I have asterinas that chomp on zoas, it does not make me happy. I have done a lot of manual removal and adding the harlie in the 57g has really decimated their population in there. I can't put one in the 45g where the zoa eating ones are because we have an orange linkia in there that I do not want to become harlie food.
Not to get too technical, but these are actually "asterina" starfish, not astreas. Astreas are a type of snail, which is an entirely different creature.
Go Here and scroll down to about mid-page and you will see both critters in the middle of the page.
Might help to identify them correctly from here on out so people don't give you the wrong advice because they were thinking it was something different.
I have asterinas that chomp on zoas, it does not make me happy. I have done a lot of manual removal and adding the harlie in the 57g has really decimated their population in there. I can't put one in the 45g where the zoa eating ones are because we have an orange linkia in there that I do not want to become harlie food.
Thought about it, but catching a harlie that does not want to be caught can sometimes be quite difficult. He also looks great in the 57g and the star is doing very well in the 45g so I am cautious about changing them around.
Translation: Nikki will kill me if I move the Harlie and the star and they die.
translation: Nikki will kill me if i move the harlie and the star and they die.
Translation: Nikki will kill me if I move the Harlie and the star and they die.
I have asterinas that chomp on zoas, it does not make me happy. I have done a lot of manual removal and adding the harlie in the 57g has really decimated their population in there. I can't put one in the 45g where the zoa eating ones are because we have an orange linkia in there that I do not want to become harlie food.
Mnat,
Doesn't the Linkia eat the stars? I had tons of those stars and once I acquired a Blue Linkia the population has dwindled considerably.