long-tentacled starfish in my LR, help :)

[ShagMan]

Hey guys,

I got a 3 lb. chunk of LR for my microreef (2 gallon hex), and whaddya know, there's one of those loooong tentacled starfish inside the LR! I don't know whether to be happy or mad, but I currently have the LR upside-down so that the major hole in it isn't buried in the sand. Is there a say to get this guy out, so I can bury/place the LR where I want it to go?

P.S. I tried pulling on a leg, and of course, ended up pulling off about a 1/8" bit of the tip

 

[tazdevil]

You sure its that and not a spaghetti worm? Either case, I'd leave it, but watch it if it is a brittle star, as some are known fish eaters (just one of many ex.-mantis shrimp). It would help with detritous, though.

 

[ShagMan]

OK, I took a few pics... it's definitly a brittle star... so this guy will eat fish?? It's just a tiny 2 gallon, so all I have in it is one boisterous yellow damsel, you're saying that slow star can grab/eat him?
Here's a montage of what this guy looks like, or what I can see of him anyway:

 

[tazdevil]

The way brittle stars grab fish is quite interesting (best ambusher's this side of the atlantic!). They raise their disc up, wait for a small fish to duck under for cover, spin their arms around, thus entrapping a fish. Believe me, they can move fast when motivated!. Now, this does apply to only certain types of brittle stars, looks like you have a "tiger" brittle. Not sure if this is one of the culprits, but hey, great hitchhiker to find. Just watch him for aggression, and target feeding probably would help keep him from trying the ambush!. Wish I had had one of those in my LR when it came in (instead of the mantis I found).