ChrisQ Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 (edited) So, not very many of us appreciate asterina stars. Now, i have no crazy infestation at all but i got lucky and have somehow acquired the "triple threat" out of nowhere, as one star will graze on algae (no big deal) then there's the other guy that preys upon your Coralline algae and then the really considerate one that will actually prey on the flesh of coral. Two tanks, the algae eaters and the Coralline algae eaters are in the main system. The ones that will attack coral were found attacking my Trachyphyllia's which means WAR! I have managed to stop the onslaught on the predation of my Trachy's but the hunting and picking at night with tiny tweezers is over. My solution to these problems has always been a natural predator. Best way IMO beside the ever present act of pro-activeness. Please let me know if we have a shrimp circulating right now, much like we did the file fish. i'm more then happy to just purchase him and put him into the club circulation like the aforementioned file fish. Edited May 22, 2018 by ChrisQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katarian Posted May 22, 2018 Share Posted May 22, 2018 Will be following this closely!I haven't had big colonies of them, until very recently. Want to put an end before they get to the corals. Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Cuttlefish had some last weekend while I was there. I had one I gave away a while ago..............they are great but feeding them after there done is the fun part.............. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Don't be scared of them. I waited way too long. They're wonderful creatures and very easy to care for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 5 minutes ago, youcallmenny said: Don't be scared of them. I waited way too long. They're wonderful creatures and very easy to care for. I am not scared of them I just got tired of feeding them I had a pair years ago and they are wonderful creatures......amazing how well they figure things out. The ones I had years ago found my sand sifting star with in minutes of being put in the tank........forgot I had one in there but the shrimp found it. Had to separate them quickly...... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 Lol not you Scott. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 22 hours ago, youcallmenny said: Don't be scared of them. I waited way too long. They're wonderful creatures and very easy to care for. I'm sure you are not referring to the stars, cause if they were any bigger i would personally transport them to the range with me. With attacking one of my Trachy's. End game. But yeah, that would be great if we can get one in club circulation. I was the last club file fish holder and i lost him many years ago, so i'll replace a file fish and purchase the shrimp that is club owned. (Since Scott is so lazy) Just kiddin bud! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 No, I mean go get a Harlequin and keep it as your pet. They're awesome and easy to care for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 Just now, youcallmenny said: No, I mean go get a Harlequin and keep it as your pet. They're awesome and easy to care for. I would rather it become a club creature that we all need at some point but they are indeed hard to keep and care for with their diet. So i feel it would be best to find a very healthy one, always take a proactive approach in what tanks hes shared in and keep him/her well fed on their natural diet. We all come across these stars at one point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertareef Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 6 minutes ago, youcallmenny said: No, I mean go get a Harlequin and keep it as your pet. They're awesome and easy to care for. How do you keep yours fed Greg? Do you do the cut off a leg thing or just sacrifice a whole star once in a while? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 (edited) I'm still on my original 2 chocolate chips in the fuge. They're fun to keep in their own right. They eat whole krill. Mean buggers. Anyways I just cut a leg off one about every other week and toss it in. Alternating between them, they're still trucking. I think once they get down to two legs I will toss them in whole but honestly they last a lot longer than I thought. I'm just saying, I've been where you are and I discovered that they are actually really easy to deal with. I will never go without them again! Makes worrying about asterinas much less of a headache. That's not even speaking to how mesmerizing these shrimp are. Truly beautiful creatures. Oh, one last thing. Cutting up starfish is not for the squeamish. edit: \/\/\/\/\/ Yea, I could see that. Understandable! Edited May 24, 2018 by youcallmenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 1 minute ago, albertareef said: How do you keep yours fed Greg? Do you do the cut off a leg thing or just sacrifice a whole star once in a while? Another issue is, some of us are not comfortable with this, so passing him/her along as an integral creature in our Club/hobby might not be a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisQ Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 I come from the coast as a former surfer (raised in the Ocean) (Pacific islander) I have great respect for what was always below me that i could never see (Including Great whites) that at the time i was completely ignorant of, i spent much more time bobbing around like a buoy/cork waiting for sets to roll in than i have in this hobby. Thinking. So, i guess the moral of the story is, not everyone is going to be comfortable with taking a fresh razor blade to an animal to feed another as a basic substitute of what their after. I can understand that their diet will suffice with multiple species of starfish. I'm afraid at the end of the day it's what one is going to be comfortable with doing in order to properly care for the creature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katarian Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 I agree with Chris. I don't think I can ever bring myself to cutting a starfish. I am already shaking thinking of it lol Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youcallmenny Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 (edited) Yea it's not like the Harlequin isn't going to rip the asterina's apart one tube foot at a time. 🤣 I respect your differing opinions but I guess it's all about perspective. Certainly doesn't mean I don't respect the ocean. I still spend time out at Otter Rock sitting past the breakers, so I get that. On the other hand, if you want to deal with this shrimp you'd better be prepared for it to do what it is meant to do. Good luck with your club shrimp! They're very useful and asterina's are a plague. Jeff has had a few in stock recently. You might try there. Edited May 24, 2018 by youcallmenny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.