PDA

View Full Version : brittle vs serpent star?? Friend or foe??


SexiShrimp
04/15/2004, 08:44 AM
Hey all,

I recently got some new corals and I noticed as I was placing my daisy polyps into my tank that a small starfish hitched a ride. To me it looks like a serpent or brittle but I can't tell the difference and he's wedged in the rock pretty well. I see his long arms and he has a black dark body with light white bands on its arms.
He moves his arms pretty fast and doesn't seem to like the light to much (at night I shine a light on him and he recoils back into the rock).
I'm afraid he'll eventually get out and eat my clowns or other fish.

Any opinions on what to do would be appreciated!
:)
Mimi

Sir Knight
04/15/2004, 11:53 AM
Based on your description, it sounds like a scavenger, that will help keep your tank clean.
Does it look something like this, other then color ?
http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/invertsandcritters/view.nhtml?profile=invertsandcritters&UID=10148

kev-dog1
04/15/2004, 12:07 PM
What a bonus...I love hitchhikers.
I'm no expert, but IMO what you have is a Banded Serpent Star, and is the least likely to cause trouble amongst the brittle/serpent star family. Should be good detritus remover. BUT...you never know. If you decide to remove it and are looking for a good home...let me know. :)
I've had green brittle stars before and they were perfect gentlemen, and very entertaining running and chasing food at feeding time.
Right now I have a black, VERY spiny brittle star (don't know the name) that stays hidden deep underneath all my rock. I have recently decided that he will be relocated. I think he and my psueochromis have been doing a WWF style tagteam number on some of the more fragile occupants in my tank: Bangai, Fire Shrimp, and most recently my favorite Coral Banded Shrimp. :( I think the psuedo beats them up, and the black star finishes them off.
The psuedochromis doesn't know it yet but his days are numbered too.
HTH-
kev

SexiShrimp
04/15/2004, 12:11 PM
joe,
My starfish looks kinda like that one except it's black and it also has spikey thingies on it's legs.
I just want to make sure that my precious mated yellow striped maroon clowns are in no danger!
:)

Sir Knight
04/15/2004, 12:46 PM
If it hasspikey thingies on it's legs
it is a brittle star should not be a problem. Should be a good addition to your tank. Does it look like this except for color
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/1303594.html

SexiShrimp
04/15/2004, 01:05 PM
joe, I think you got the ID on that starfish! Thanks for the help!
:):)

danieljames
04/15/2004, 02:34 PM
Sexy shrimp....a bit off topic but i see you have a mated pair of clowns. I saw a mated pair w/a bubble tip on the net but heard that they can be very aggresive. How are yours toward your other inhabitants?

SexiShrimp
04/15/2004, 03:21 PM
danieljames,
My clowns are doing fine so far......they are still young and are from ORA tankraised (don't know if that matters). I don't know if they'll get more aggressive as time goes by. They kinda hang around my open brain but don't seem to mind others near thier coral.
:)
Mimi

gflat65
04/15/2004, 04:03 PM
Sorry for stealing the thread. danieljames- They can be very aggressive. I have a femal that has been in my tank for 7 years. She knows she runs the tank. I have her with two GBTA's (one split from the other about a year ago) and she does not like my idea of aquascaping. She has pulled sps after sps off of my rocks despite being held down by epoxy stick. She hasn't been too bad on any of my fish through the years, though. She liked to kick some damsel tail in the day, but I would have too:) She chases my pajama cards a little, but hasn't frayed any of them yet. She did seem to be the appointed protector of my mandarin severalyears ago. When my lawnmower would decide to sit on the mandarins head, Shakes (the clown-gotta see the movie) would swing out of her way and swat the blenny with her tail. She bites me pretty good sometimes too. It never hurts, but it's like "What the frick just happened-Oh you want to be that way huh?" I love her anyway.