Need help ID-ing this critter... sand-dollar cousin?

[Daniel]

:confused: i tried to do a search but i suck.

i see these little circular disc things on my zoo's, they look like tiny white discs with 5 arms around it. it seems to be bothering my zoanthid polyps so i would like to know what these little things are... (i think the shells may be Calcium Carbonate or something, the best way i can describe it is that it looks very similar to a sand dollar?)

any help would be greatly appreciated.

here are some pictures

[Dakota]

ooo.. looks neat. With the "legs", it may be a type of star.. then again, I think sand dollars are cousins of stars, aren't they?? hrm..

[Daniel]

yea they look kinda unique, i wouldn't mind if they were in the sand eating detritus, but these lil guys seem to like hanging around zoanthid polyps, it doesn't do any "visible" harm, but the presence of them being there seems to cause my zoo's to close up more often than they should.

anyone have any ideas?? this isn't the first time i've seen them!

what the heck are these lil things?

[Daniel]

blah ... don't make me go back to reefcentral, i get lost in the threads over there.

someone help me please?

[WanaLeime]

yeah...i think its some type of starfish baby...do you have any sandsifting stars?....I had one and it reproduced like 50 off tiny springs....over a couple of months...