ID please

[sil3ncio]

found this on my tank, what kind of starfish is it, it has stripes, and its kinda small now. And is it good or bad for a reef aquarium?

Thanks,
Edward

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Serpent star if it's legs are smooth. If they look "Hairy" then that would be a brittle star.

 

[Bob 1000]

I have tons of them and I'm good... They're harmless..

 

[KathyC]

I have tons of them and I'm good... They're harmless..

me too..and they show your system is doing well too

 

[DevIouS]

They will stay that size...

 

[KathyC]

good point Forgot that part :spin:

 

[sil3ncio]

do they need others to reproduce? or no.....

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

Reproduction of Britle Stars and Serpent Stars

do they need others to reproduce? or no.....

Hi sil3ncio (your name reminds me of the Portuguese word Sil?ncio which means Silence)
This is my first post so I also profit to introduce my self.
I'm Portuguese and live on parallel 49 but on the other side of Atlantic Ocean, Europe, in a City called Vila Nova de Gaia where Port wine is in fact produced. The city sits on the south bank o River Douro, which separates it form Porto City, so shall we say, on the opposite side of New York and had it been some 200 million years ago, we would be neighbours :lol:..well then again, not exactly:lol:. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean as you may see here Viagem ? volta do mundo (

1 2) some photographs of the beach 7 km from my place where I collect natural sponge to feed Zanclus, Pygoplithes, etc...I think Paul Bladassano still remembers the two videos I once sent him about my Zanclus feeding on live local sponge (which you also have in your rocky shores and piers for that matter...small world after all...).
It's been 21 years now that I keep marine fauna and flora and presently I'm www.reefforum.net moderator, a forum now having more that 7000 members, where among other tasks I translate with their permission, Sanjay Joshi's, Ron Shimek's, Anthony Calfo's, etc... articles and publish them so that their valuable work and knowledge is better divulged through out the world, namely the Portuguese speaking world which I believe to have around 600000 people now a days. I'm also translating Anthony's Calfo Book of Coral Propagation.

Going now to your question, yes Brittle Stars do reproduce sexually, please have a look here Brittle Stars so they need others to reproduce however there are some exceptions

Reproduction

The sexes are separate in most species, though a few, e.g., Amphipholis squamata, are hermaphroditic. Gonads, found only in the disc, open into the pouches in the integument between radii, called genital bursae. Gametes are then shed by way of the bursal sacs. An exception is the Ophiocanopidae, which do not open into bursae and are paired in a chain along the basal arm joints. Many species actually brood developing larvae in the bursae. The ophiuroid coelom is strongly reduced, particularly in comparison to other echinoderms. In a few species the female carries a dwarf male, clinging to it. The number of species exhibiting ophiopluteus larvae are fewer than those that diretly develop.

As you might have guessed, the same goes for Serpent Stars, in fact they are both ophiurids echinoderms

Brittle stars, or ophiurids, are echinoderms, closely related to sea stars. They crawl across the seafloor using their flexible arms for locomotion. The ophiuroids generally have five long slender, whip-like arms which may reach up to 60 centimeters (2 feet) in length on the largest specimens. They are also known as serpent stars.

As already mentioned by several members, the ones you presented are of the good kind and do indeed reveal good biological environment in your system and do not grow more than that. The ones you should beware with are quite large and could show as much beautifull as deadly...predators...Ophiaracna incrassata is to avoid, even if it may live peacefully for many months or even more untill one day...and small fish start to disapear misteriously...it lurks for oportunitys and it is fast to attack.
Well that is not the case of the ones you have showed here.
Hope this help clarify your doubts.


Kindly
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[sil3ncio]

thanks Pedro, and my nick name is silencio, which means silence in spanish!