Are these good starfish?

Hi Everyone,

I just recieved three small starfish from a friend with a FOWLR tank. Now, my wife loves them but I have read that some of these small starfish could try eating my Acropora. But then I hear contrasting info that they are algae eaters and nothing more. I've attached three photos to help identify them and see if I need to get rid of them. Thanks in advance.

 

I have hundreds of them in my tank. They all come out at night.
I would not worry about them. They just one of the many exciting unexpected pleasures of reefkeeping.

 

re: asterina starfish

I have them. Those starfish can reproduce fast so I try to keep them in check. I think I have seen mine mow on my acropora a bit, but not enough to wipe them out. YOu can see my pic of it in action on this thread:
http://www.3reef.com/forums/coral-h...ra-getting-mowed-asterina-starfish-33881.html

 

:-/ There is a debate on whether they are beneficial or not. There are people that swear they eat coral tissue and other beneficial stuff and some say they eat algae and that's it. One thing is for sure, they reproduce fast! When you see one without an arm or two, congratulations... you have new stars on the way.

I prevent a plague by removing them everytime I see them on the glass (anywhere where they are easy to get). For everyone you get out, you might have a lot of stars on the way, so take them out when you see them.

Oh, I forgot to mention, they stay small and do not grow bigger than about a 1/4" or so.