help me get rid of asterinas!

can anyone please help me with getting rid of my asterina stars that doesnt involve getting an expensive harlequin shrimp that will die after they are gone. they are destroying my coralline algae and not allowing it to take off. i have watched them do it. what i have been doing is using a long hose and siphoning them into my filter sock in the sump.

 

how old is your tank? Other than eating a little corailline here and there, the asternia's are generally benign additions to our reefs. If your reef is not more than 3-6+ months old, then I would not expect any explosions of corailline period. If your tank is fully established and you are dosing calc/mag/kH - it will "takeoff" regardless of your asternia population.

If you are eradicating them because you do not like they way they look, then by all means. But based on their corailline consumption - their beneficial addition to the tank may outweigh their hunger for corailline.

 

tank is a year and half old. i use coralife salt has high calc and mag and i have no sps or clams so no need to dose.

 

Personally.... coraline is overrated. Looks good until you have to scrape it all the time to keep glass clean.

Having said that.... Harliquin is basically your only choice unless you want to pick them out endlessly and never get anywhere. I did for a year till I got fed up. Asterinas are benign until you have thousands in your tank. My tank was litteraly covered. I woul dtake out 2-3 hundred at a time and never made a dent. My Harly decimated mine in the matter of two months.

All you can do if continue to feed the Harly.... or get to know local reefers in the same boat and trade the Harley off. There are floks local that will circulate them to keep them fed.