brittle star capture

[kaskiles]

Hi,

I have a very small brittle star living in the holes in my live rock. I've only seen about 3/4" of the tips of about 3 or 4 tentacles he sticks out of the rock to tell me to feed him...

I'm planning to remove this large rock from my system, and replace with a few smaller rocks. Does anyone know of a good way to capture him, to remove him from the rock and place on the new ones?

It will be possible for me to totally remove the rock to a tub with tank water if necessary... Would a fresh water dip of the rock force him out, but not kill him? Is there a way to bait him out with food and then somehow trap him (or remove the rock really quick)?

Thanks, Kenneth.

 

[rade8em]

I dont know for sure, but one friend told me to make a really high salinity water for getting a bristle worm out of rock. I dont know if this will hurt the little guy but I would try that more than fresh water.

 

[mdvistnes]

Brittle star not bristle worm I think.

I would take the rock out and put it in a separate container with a big open area on the bottom and put some food out on the open area. Don't need a ton of water - just enough for him to stay submerged. Leave the lights out or very low and he'll come off the rock. Pick him up and put him back in the tank. Touching them is the part that freaks me out cause they look like huge spiders.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

the guy at the LFS dropped my rock in a FW tank to get me one out 2 years ago...it is doing fine...but that is a black brittle star...not sure about those little white ones in the live rock...they should be fine in a FW dip though....not sure how anything else on or in the rock will fair though...