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09-29-2005, 01:10 PM
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#1
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Whats with the labels?
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 456
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Has anyone had a green brittle star eat
one of their fish?
I've heard rumours they can stalk adn eat fish?
just curious. i have one, and he's been A ok. His hang out is right next to where my clowns sleep, and no harm (although my female is trying to host in my bubble coral to no avail, but she's trying. she's also working on refilling the burrow my psuedochromis is digging)
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Despite popular belief, if there is a fool in the woods, and nobody is around to hear his jibba jabba, Mr. T is still able to pity him.
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09-29-2005, 01:14 PM
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#2
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TCMAS Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: River Falls, WI
Posts: 3,017
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There's definately a chance of the star eating one of your fish. Make sure you keep you star well fed.
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Barry
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09-29-2005, 01:17 PM
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#3
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Whats with the labels?
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 456
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by pnkpanther
one of their fish?
I've heard rumours they can stalk adn eat fish?
just curious. i have one, and he's been A ok. His hang out is right next to where my clowns sleep, and no harm (although my female is trying to host in my bubble coral to no avail, but she's trying. she's also working on refilling the burrow my psuedochromis is digging)
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by my female, i mean my female clown. i realize i'm sort of missing a noun there
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Despite popular belief, if there is a fool in the woods, and nobody is around to hear his jibba jabba, Mr. T is still able to pity him.
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09-29-2005, 01:31 PM
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#4
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TCMAS Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Brooklyn Center, MN
Posts: 5,665
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I have witnessed the green brittle eat zenia. So I am sure will go after other corals as well. As far as I'm concerned they are not reef safe. The black brittles are a much better choice.....
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09-29-2005, 01:34 PM
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#5
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Getting the 120 up again!
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Posts: 1,044
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I have 6 (not sure on type- i think the smaller ones are tiger striped) in my 72.... 2 of them their bodies are over 2 1/2" across and legs are about a foot long each and the other 4 are smaller.... bodies about an inch across and legs around 4" long. I've had no problems with them. I only have 4 fish though. ( 4" foxface, 4" clarkii clown, lawnmower blenny and a mandarin) Although I haven't seen my shrimp in at least 3 months now! I think one of them got him or possibly my huge sally lightfoot crab found the shrimp while he was molting.
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 R.K.A member, Ken voted me in.
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09-29-2005, 01:49 PM
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#6
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Nothing to See Here
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Savage, MN
Posts: 2,176
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I have had two Lawnmower blennies dissapear. I have no idea who ate them. I do have two good size brittle stars in my 180. Behaviour wise I think a Goby is comparable with the blenny, sitting on the sandbed and all. That guy however is always around. |
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09-29-2005, 02:14 PM
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#7
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ex- Montipora Farmer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 944
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One of my maintenance tanks has a 1' plus green brittle and that tank always has dissapearing fish...
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09-29-2005, 02:40 PM
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#8
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Shark
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,737
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I love those green brittle stars. They look nice and tend to be great, enthusiastic performers that are fun to watch when you put food in the tank.
I don't keep them with anything I care about that seems at all vulnerable though.
I'm prettty sure I had one eat a sailfin molly once (circumstantial evidence though), and I know for certain that one of them ate a sally lightfoot crab on another occassion. The evidence: (1) the sally lightfoot had just molted (which would have made it more vulnerable), (2) the crab's molted exoskeleton was there but no crab was to be found, (3) the brittle star had obviously had a big meal, and (4) the next day the brittle star was spitting out indigestible bits of crab exoskeleton. I suppose it is possible that the crab died during the molt, and the brittlestar ate the dead crab, but I have little doubt that it could have caught and eaten the living crab. |
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09-29-2005, 03:25 PM
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#9
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240 gallon reef since '92
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Red Wing, MN
Posts: 264
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yep, I had two, they ate my smaller size fish all the time. got rid of the starfish, and now the smaller fish have usually lasted 5-7 years.
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Bill Schaller, setting up a 58 ReefReady.
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09-29-2005, 03:36 PM
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#10
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I've got the REEF rash!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 23,173
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Mines has eattn inverts and fish!
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09-29-2005, 04:03 PM
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#11
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Kichi Saru!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: currently Nagaoka, Japan
Posts: 2,808
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I have witnessed my green brittle star digesting the following:
1 ocellaris clown
1 gobie
1 pistol shrimp
2 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
I have never seen him eat any corals though, but still I hate him. I got revenge one night though, I was doing a water change and I picked him up and the tips of his legs broke off!
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Devin wa dokodesuka.
Koi Acres
Fune de Nihon e ikimasu.
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09-29-2005, 04:27 PM
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#12
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RIP Steve Irwin
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Whereva
Posts: 5,500
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I have 3 huge ones I need to pull from a maintaince account. Chromis are cheap fish but expensive food.
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Never take life seriously...nobody gets out alive anyways.
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09-29-2005, 06:56 PM
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#13
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TCMAS Member
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: River Falls, WI
Posts: 3,017
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If you target feed the brittles regularly I believe you can curb the expensive cuisine.
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Barry
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09-29-2005, 07:41 PM
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#14
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Keeper Of The Zoo
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Eau Claire, WI
Posts: 666
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I bought a citron goby last weekend aqnd he is gone now! My green brittle is about 9" across and I think he had a good meal. 
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No Matter Where You Go, There You Are.
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09-30-2005, 01:07 AM
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#15
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Shark
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,737
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I'll take any green brittlestars you folks don't want!
Several of you mentioned having green brittlestars that are causing you problems. If you don't want them I would love to have them. Really, they would be terrific to have in the lab tanks. I have enough different tanks and compartments that I can find places for them where they would not cause trouble (e.g., they could go in with the really huge chocolate chip seastar we have in the lab), and they are fantastic brittlestars in a classroom/teaching lab situation.
If you are interested in Galaxea (spelling?) frags, I could even give you some little Galaxea frags (mostly single polyps, but they grow fast) in return. Yes, Galaxea is another tank inhabitant that does not play well with others, but it sure is pretty if you have room to keep it from stinging its neighbors. This one has nice green tentacle tips. It is also remarkably hardy, surviving my disasters (temps in the mid 90's followed by pH of about 9.2!) competely unscathed.
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