ID please ???

I seen this on my front glass moving along at a snails speed,i'm pretty sure it's a starfish of some kind,but it only has 3 legs and is white.I know it's not the best pic,but he was gone before i could get a better one. i'm wondering if it's reef safe or not so the next time i see him,i can get him out or if i have a freebie hitch hiker .

 

Asterina star should be no problem.

 

Its a asterina starfish. They can be a pain, especially when there numbers exploded, but for the most part seem safe.

 

Will it grow the other 2 legs?munch my corals?how big does it get?(i only have a 20 long) I'm gonna google it and do some research,but thought i'd ask the experts first,Thanks guys

 

It will grow 3 more if it doesn't divide first. Dividing is how they multiply. All but one species of the stars are safe, the one that isn't is almost never encountered. Since it is on your glass it is considered safe.

 

There are mixed reviews. Some have had problems with them eating zoa's. Mine have not touched my corals, but they do munch on my coralline algae which pisses me off. I think it depends on what type you have.

 

Sweet,I got a freebie! If they multiply to much or get to big,i'll use them for trades at lfs.I'll google them still and do some research on them,but thank you for the quick answers and glad to hear it's safe !!

 

Now i know i'll be doing some research,I only have soft corals but coral is hard to come by in my area without driving 60 miles,and i know i don't want it eating my zoas.

 

Better pull it out now. There are many small asexually reproducing species in the family Asterinidae. One individual can rapidly turn into a tankful of them. At that point even the harmless ones may start eating corals rather than starve. Also, they're not something that a LFS will want unless it has harlequin shrimp to feed.

 

i found one in my tank too! hrmm... and it turned into 3 of them when i accidentally scraped it from the glass (was so small the first time i didnt even notice it when scraping the algae off the display pane)

harlequins love em i hear. ill get one if/when the population demands it.