Starfish parasites

Question
I have a 135 gallon saltwater tank, Just recently I noticed
miniature starfish growing. are they parasites and if they are how can I get rid of them.


Answer
Hello Gladys.  

I would like to get some more information from you about these starfish to confirm, or you can search based upon the following two guesses...

They could be 'asterina' starfish, or they could mini-brittle starfish..

The asterinas are more traditional looking except thay are about 1/4 inch from tip to tip.  They are usually 'mal-formed' in that they may have two, three, four, or more legs.  Once in a while you might get a huge asterina, it maybe 1/2 inch.

The mini brittles are more like the larger brittle starfish, in that they have very small almost independant body 'torso', with five legs that are very thin and long.  the starfish could be about 1 inch from tip to tip.. but you usually see only thier legs as they would hide in litle pin holes, and just stick out thier legs in the current.

Anyways, if they are either of those two, it is a good sign of your tanks quality...

Your tank is supplying food and critters to take care of each other...

Some people think 'asterina' stars are bad.  I asure you, they are not...  they getr a repuration due to seeing some asterinas on some closed up zoanthids.  But it is the other way around, the zoas were closing up and not doing well and the stars went thier to scavange on watever is either causing hte zoas to stress of working on the symptoms of the zoas decline...

But, if you have asterinas, I doubt you will ever get rid of them, but to minimize them, you need to minimize thier foods. They love surface algae.  They will be all over your glass at night and in the morning... If you scrape and keep your glass clean, daily, your starfish will go down, but will probably never go away...

If you have tons of them, I would 'warn' friends and such when yougive, sell or trade your corals.  Tell them to dip, and give them the save advice...  If they dip, it wont kill or get them all out, but it will reduce thier nubmers, and if they clean thier glass often after puting the corals into the tank, they will not get them, (probably)

Anyways, good luck, and let me know what you got, thanks


Mr. Bill