My Brittle Star is trying to eat the Sand Star

[Fish R Cool]

Has anyone had any experience with Brittle Stars?Tonite I was feeding the fish in my reef when my
Green Serpant Brittle came out and tried to grab
food. After trying and failing to catch any food,
He grabbed a nearby Sand Starfish, and dragged
him under the biggest piece of LR and started to
make a meal out of him. After a brief tug of war
I managed to rescue the smaller star. He is
missing a small part of one of his arms. Will
this heal? Am I better of removing the Brittle
Star? I have two small Blennies in the tank along
with a Blue Tang (small), and a small common
Clown. I am new to the reef game.My tank is 2
months old, and I would appreciate the advice.

 

[Michelle50]

Hi, welcome to the board. I am by no means an expert, but once upon a time I had a brittle eat an arm off of my chocolate chip star. My star never recovered and about 3 months later the brittle disappeard and was never seen again. Since I have gained some new knowledge here at the board I have learned that if I had been feeding my brittle that might not have happend. Hope your stars make it, but I can tell you one thing you will hear at this board that is mostly a consensus, if you have a sand shifting star get rid of it, if you have sand..which i'm assuming you do if you have corals.

Good luck,
Michelle

 

[pkolenda]

Went to a seminar in Chicago this weekend. One of the topics was critters in your tank. The speaker had nothing good to say about this type of star. They have big mouths and are basicall a large stomach without the typical things found in most animals. He told a couple stories about them eating fish and I think a LFS owner. Or somehting like that.

Needless to say I am not going to get any more.

The one thing puzzling me is that one person said that most people were not big fans of sand sifting stars? Why not? I do have one of them and he has been great.

Good luck to your blennies.

 

[clyde]

sand stars eat fauna in bed, when sandbed is gone of fauna, sand stars starve and die.

 

[Mouse]

Sounds to me like your brittle knows whats good for your system. Sand stars are v bad and will only deccimate sand bed fauna and infauna untill they eventually eat themselfs out of house and home and die. No good for reefers.

 

[Lynn]

I feed my brittle star every night. He comes right out and over to the baster and I squirt mysis shrimp all over his legs, which he raises up to catch them. He has never looked at my fish or other critters. I think feeding them is a good idea. Mine stays in his hole all the time except at feeding times!

 

[Lynn]

I feed my brittle star every night. He comes right out and over to the baster and I squirt mysis shrimp all over his legs, which he raises up to catch them. He has never looked at my fish or other critters. I think feeding them is a good idea. Mine stays in his hole all the time except at feeding times!

 

[Anonymous]

GASP! Animals eat things?!?!?!?

Sorry couldn't resist. It's just that it seems like marine aquarists are always astonished when someone gets eaten in their tanks.

In reality death is natural and healthy and if it didn't occur with some regularity in your aquarium your tank would not be natural. What are you trying to establish? A natural slice of the reef right? A natural ecosystem. PETA is a human invention not something created by Mother Nature.

The Green Brittle Star can catch fish and MAY go after other critters. HOWEVER if you keep them well fed they will learn to prefer the easier handout as opposed to hunting.

Obviously selecting animals that are the least destructive is desired, and the O. incrassata most likely did you a favor by taking out the sand star, but IMO there is a significant list of animals out there that have been blamed for the death or disappearance of other animals/critters when they were likely just in the area or cleaning up the mess.

Stop species profiling!

 

[Fish R Cool]

If Sand Stars are bad for my reef, and I decide to
move the Brittle is there any starfish species
that is desireable?

 

[danmhippo]

Not exactly starfish, but same family.....Urchins.

Then again, some don't like their behaviour of knocking things off.......Guess there aren't anything that is perfect.....

 

[esmithiii]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

PETA is a human invention not something created by Mother Nature.

I like this guy!

E