Found a hitch hiker on coral frag.

**Strider199** · 02-09-2013, 10:01 PM

I found a hitch hiker which has really long appendages for a starfish on one of my zoanthid frags. I have three frags in quarantine which I bought from the same tank/same day. After checking the pest section; this starfish doesn't look like any thing I saw a picture of. Should I let this hitch hiker into my tank or destroy it?

**Cliff** · 02-09-2013, 10:14 PM

Dose it look something like this:

Or this:

**Strider199** · 02-09-2013, 10:20 PM

Man it is small but the shape is the same. I used a turkey baster and jetted it off the frag. It moved around the container(looks like it is missing one arm as I only saw 4), and after doing a circle it is climbing back up the frag stand to the same zoanthid I blew it off of.
The body shape is the same Cliff.

**Cliff** · 02-09-2013, 10:26 PM

Sounds like a harmless brittle starfish to me. I have some of them in my tanks. You can google a few pics of them just to be sure. They can be very common in the hobby

The below link can help you ID some of the more common hitch hikers out there

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ad.php?t=89508

**Strider199** · 02-09-2013, 10:37 PM

It looks like a very small brittle starfish Cliff. From end of arm to end of arm I would say it measures around 5/8 inch. The center round body section is around 3/32 inch. Colour is almost clear. Moves really fast for such a little creature.
If it is harmless, it has found a new home. Thanks Cliff.