Should I kill these little starfish?

[AWD]

Along time ago I put some little weird shaped starfish in my sump. I was told they'll eat the corals. They have done well and just the other day I discovered what they are eating, sponges. I pulled most of them out. I don't have the heart to kill all of them. I wonder if they actually help the sponges by eating them before they die. It is apparent to me that these little sponges are short lived.

What are your opinions?

 

[Anonymous]

Many times small stars congregate on sponges because sponges trap detritus and it is easily utilized by the star. Many brittle stars associate with tube sponges for the easy meal and for protection of the deep recesses of the vase/tube sponges. Many of the public aquariums have small stars growing like crazy in their reef tanks. The stars seem to do no harm. I would only worry if the stars are found on your corals causing some damage.

GL

Dan

 

[AWD]

I am 95% sure they are eating the sponges. I didn't buy the sponges they are just little white ones with a fanlike looking top. The stars aren't the little brittle stars that I heard about. They are goofy looking creatures. They have 3 arms that look normal and 2-3 arms that are very very short. If any of you have those little brittle stars I would enjoy some.

Thank you for your responses.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, thats the kind I was referring to also. I had them for quite some time, but eventually they were obscuring the view and I started to feel they were kind of unsightly. So I got a pair of harlequin shrimp which polished them off in short order.

 

[Anonymous]

they always have a couple of short arms because the multiply by dividing...

 

[Anonymous]

Are you sure they are eating the sponges? They might just be eating detritus of the surface of them. Most of the little stars people have in their reefs are harmless. Some are supposed to eat sps corals, but I haven't seen them.