Brittle star eating fish

[jacksonimaging]

Hello! This morning I saw my Brittle Starfish (legs from end to end are 20") eating my orchid dottyback! The fish was fine last night and ate well. I have been feeding the brittle star formula one chunks and some people shrimp. Would he attack a sleeping fish? When the dottyback sleeps he wedges himself up against the live rock near the sand. Should I be feeding the star more? I would hate to loose another fish. They have been in the take for several years together. Any ideas? Thanks!

R.I.P

 

[Tayler]

it may not have been fed enough, it probably thought the fish was dead and ate it.

 

[ROB2005]

What kind of brittle starfish was it, if it was the Green Brittle starfish, they have been known to prey on small sleeping or weak fish in their resting spots

 

[Tylt33]

Red Brittles are fish eaters as well. We were just discussing this in the Red Sea Max thread in the Nano forums... someone lost four or five fish to their red brittle. Once it was removed, no more fishies went missing.

 

[snorvich]

How did they get it out?

 

[woolyt2]

i had a green brittle star that its body had gotten to be about the size of a 1/2 dollar one fish then 2 then my goby and shrimp ....sent him back to the lfs and no more fish went awol

 

[D-Rod]

I have the regular brown brittle stars and a while back I noticed 2 empty turbo snail shells, I just happen to check the tank w/flashlight right before going to bed and there was this b-star trying to pull it off the back glass I watched for a few and he slowly got it loose and when it fell off and the b-star started to poke it with one of it arms that's when I threw him into the sump.
I stuck a small dot of aqua-mend to keep track of him and see if maybe the snail was sick already. Nope. The snail is still around and that was about 2 months ago.
So it is possible.