Baby starfish?

[Booboo33062]

What do baby starfish look like. I saw a four armed thing on the glass which was a little larger than the eraser on the end of a pencil. I watched it on the glass for several days, then I did a water change and I lossed him. I don't know it I sucked him up or just bumped him off in the sand. I noticed two more on the back of the tank, but they only seem to have three arms,but I'm not sure they are the same thing. It was sand colored.

[Brent Cone]

I had them before, if they stay in the glass i heard that they are ok!... JMO
Brent.

[ckusnierek]

If they are kind of white and black speckeled they may be asterina stars wich can EAT SPS corals. Some do and some don't you wont know till it's too late!

ASTERINA STARS You may see little oddly shaped white starfish crawling around on your glass. These are asterina stars. They will split and multiply in your tank. MOST asterinas in our tanks are good guys, but there are some types that munch on coral. Watch them... if they are always on your coral, be wary. If they are cruising your glass, they are probably algae grazers.

[Geoff]

there are many species of Asterina stars. most are algae eaters, there are some however that are SPS eaters. if you do not have any SPS in the tank then you have the algae eating ones. if you have SPS in the tank and the only place you see the stars is around the basses of the SPS then you have the coral eating variety. if you have SPS and you see the stars all over the glass then you have the algae eating kind.

remember, critters like to stay as close to their food source as possible. an SPS eating starfish will not be on the glass. to much energy needed to get back to its food source.

G~

[Mike01z]

I got em too, I didn't realize there was two types, I only have LPS and I see mine on the glass and rocks so I'm guessing I have the algae type!

[Sndwave80]

I have a tank of over a hundred. I have SPS, LPS and Softies and have not had an issue with them. In fact I enjoy having them as they help keep my glass clean and usually only come out in low light.