Asternia Starfish

[Almondsaz]

Has anyone discovered a natural way to reduce the population of asternia starfish in a reef tank. My current method is to physically remove them from the system, but they are everywhere. I was wondering if they have a natural predator, like a Harlequin Shrimp?

Appreciate the help.

 

[Reefscape]

Harlequin shrimp will work through them, but, you also have to think about a food source afterwards..I.E providing choc chip stars, as an example, as a food source..

 

[Ace25]

:iagree: 100%. That is exactly the advice I would give to that question and I have seen it done many times.

 

[Almondsaz]

Ace/Reefscape: do either of you have experience with the harlequins that you can relate? I wonder how voracious an eater they are. I have in excess of 100 asternia so don't know how long that would keep the HS busy/fed before I had to come up with a CCstar diet.

 

[Ace25]

Yup, seen a pair of em go through about 4000 in less than 60 days. I had one, and it went through about 300 in 3 weeks. I ended up just taking it back after he solved the problem because I didn't want to spend $7 for a CC starfish every couple weeks just to feed the shrimp.

 

[Fishieness]

I have one in my 10 gallon and i get him about 50 or so a week from the store that I work at. 100 shouldn't take one that long...

 

[Almondsaz]

Thanks all for the information, really appreciate the insights.

 

[Almondsaz]

Well, I got the HS and he hasn't desemated the asternia population yet. I either underestimated the total number in the tank or he isn't as hungry as I expected. I have 'fed' him some of the asternia and he eats them, but I have a ton on the back of my tank. 6 feet long so maybe my count was wrong. Some have gotten fairly large - nickel size.