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My Rasta colony was thriving at one point with 13 heads, but it mysteriously dwindled down to just one - I'm pretty sure it was due to a Zoa Pox. I managed to nurse it back to five heads, and I thought I was in the clear, but then they started disappearing again.

I noticed these Asterina starfish crawling on the remaining heads one day, and the next day I saw one wrapped around the polyp. At first, I thought it was just cleaning off some algae, but then I did some research and found out that the darker-colored Asterinas are notorious for killing off Zoa colonies. I checked the colors of mine, and sure enough, they were all dark.

I've had these starfish in my tank for years, and it finally dawned on me why my Zoa colonies never seemed to thrive. So, my wife, daughter, and I spent 25 minutes removing as many as we could find - I'm sure there are hundreds more lurking in there, but this was a good start. We even found one that was only a quarter inch wide.

Now my Rasta colony is basically just a purple mat with a tiny, bright green speck visible. I'm curious to know if anyone thinks this speck will grow into a full-fledged polyp.

It's possible, as long as the mat is still there, there's a chance. I went through something similar and ended up getting a harlequin shrimp, which helped keep the Asterina under control.

Glad you identified the issue, now the real work begins. Best of luck with the cleanup and hoping for a Zoa comeback.

I've had Asterina in my tank for years, never seen them eat living tissue, always just cleaning up dead stuff. Hopefully your frag recovers, fingers crossed.

creebo wrote: ↑Sat Jan 15, 2022 12:49 am I've had Asterina in my tank for years, never seen them eat living tissue, always just cleaning up dead stuff. Hopefully your frag recovers, fingers crossed.

I agree with this sentiment. The likelihood of your Asterina being the primary culprit in devouring your Zoas, rather than merely cleaning up the dead or dying ones affected by Zoa Pox, seems extremely low.

bouldon said:

It really bumb me out cause I love Zoa's but never had success with my current tank, now I know why.

That's still up for debate, considering your Zoas were already struggling with illness. I'd appreciate an update on this thread in the coming month if you don't notice a significant turnaround in your Zoas' health. If no drastic improvement occurs, it's possible the Asterina weren't the primary issue, and sharing your findings will help others avoid making the same mistake of eliminating harmless creatures.

I've had my fair share of Asterina starfish issues with my zoanthids in the past, and I gotta say, I wouldn't be so quick to write them off as innocent. There's just too many reports of them wreaking havoc on zoa colonies, and having that many in your tank is a pretty big red flag, if you ask me.

I had a bout with Zoa pox back in April, but that's long gone now. I didn't start noticing the Asterinas on my zoas until early January this year. To be honest, I'm not entirely convinced they were eating the zoas themselves, but rather maybe just cleaning up dead tissue off them. It's weird though, because there's plenty of other food sources in the tank, yet I've seen a few Asterinas consistently going after the zoas or whatever's on them.

I'm just not willing to take the risk - if I want to keep zoas, I'd rather get rid of these hitchhikers that could potentially cause problems down the line. It's a shame, because I really like the Asterinas, but I'd rather not gamble with my zoas.

I get that you're being cautious, but it's still a shame that you might've jumped the gun on the Asterinas. We've gotta consider the possibility that they were just along for the ride, cleaning up dead tissue. It's not like they were the only ones with a taste for zoas – we know Zoa Pox can be a real killer. Guess what I'm saying is, we should give our tank inhabitants the benefit of the doubt, you know?

I think scavengers are kinda like the opportunistic eaters of the reef world. Most are considered reef safe since they go for detritus and algae first, but that doesn't mean they won't touch other tank-mates if they get the chance. I mean, it's not likely a hermit crab would go after zoas, but they can.

Found this article that's worth a read - it talks about the importance of balance in our ecosystems. For me, the key is keeping things in a natural order. Just like we balance our water with reactors and stuff, we need to keep an eye on populations and trim back when necessary. Same with pests like aptasia - sometimes you gotta take care of an overpopulation of asternia stars.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/joomla/index ... eping-101-

Just caught another Asterina doing its thing - this one was white, wrapped around one of my Zoas. Managed to get it off, but my Zoa's not looking too hot today.

http://imgur.com/a/2e8iv