I got some chaeto from a lfs a couple weeks ago and it was full of life. It actually disappoints me. Including aiptasia and a couple brittle stars. But I have noticed little snowflake looking inverts all in my display. They almost look like little white starfish. Does anyone know exactly what they are? I also found a little worm in the chaeto. It's not a bristle. I'll get a pic next time I see him
Brittle Star?...maybe
- Thread starter robert.talarico
- Start date
Brittle stars are great to have in any tank and so are the little star fish. Well some like them, some don't. I bet it is a tube worm in your cheato, nothing to worry about there other then your aiptasia, but it was bound to happen at some point, just take care of it asap or you might end up with tons. I have had like two to four aiptasia in my tank the whole time I have had it. Seems that if I kill them off asap they almost never come back, or are easy to control.
We've never had a problem with Asterina's, and have had tanks with thousands of them loaded up with zoanthids.
I have never once had a zoanthid loss that I can directly attribute to Asterinas.
They are scavangers, and if polyps are dead and or dying, they will finish them off, much like hermit crabs and other reef janitors.
I've seen them eat algea from between polyps, and munch dying polyps, but never healthy ones, wether grey or white asterinas.
Asterinas are pretty easy to idenitfy, typically pencil eraser size ish, short stubby legs and often but not always lopsided and assymetrical.
Not my pics, but one a quick google search pulled up:
[attachment=59749:name]
I have never once had a zoanthid loss that I can directly attribute to Asterinas.
They are scavangers, and if polyps are dead and or dying, they will finish them off, much like hermit crabs and other reef janitors.
I've seen them eat algea from between polyps, and munch dying polyps, but never healthy ones, wether grey or white asterinas.
Asterinas are pretty easy to idenitfy, typically pencil eraser size ish, short stubby legs and often but not always lopsided and assymetrical.
Not my pics, but one a quick google search pulled up:
[attachment=59749:name]
I have had numerous instances of Asterinas eating seriatapora sps- particularly ORA hyacinth birdsnest and ponape birdsnest over the past 20 or so years of reef keeping. And yes they were the little white ones, and no, they weren't eating unhealthy polyps or algae. Unfortunately, in environments where food starts to run scarce, sometimes the little buggers seek alternative food sources.
That being said, without seeing the little white creatures on Robert's tank it is difficult to make an identification.
That being said, without seeing the little white creatures on Robert's tank it is difficult to make an identification.
