Brittle and serpent stars are the same thing. The distinction between the two made by the hobby has no real significance taxonomically or behaviorally. Most could probably catch and eat fish if it came to that, but for most species it's very rare or unreported at all. The only one in the hobby that eats fish on more than just a very rare occasion is
O. incrassata.
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sorry but i dont mean to hijack this thread, how exactly do u feed your starfish?
i have my red star in my tank for about a month now and i dont think i feed it correctly, i tired putting some brime shrimp under him but by the time i can pick him up and put the food under him the food is blown away.when feed i pullthe maxijet but leave my aquaclear on
but yet the star is still very active, i just dont know wut its eating. do they search for food around the tank or something?
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With the true starfish that are reef safe (
Fromia and
Linckia) there is no way to feed them. They usually don't take to target feeding. Their diet isn't known anyway, but it's believed they graze on microscopic organic films that grow on the LR. That's why they have such poor survival rates in small or newly established tanks without enough grungy LR for them to graze.
With brittle or serpent stars you just put some meaty food near them and they'll grab it.