brittle starfish problem

[cassklar]

i purchased a tank with live rock and i wshed and cleaned it but i just cant believe how may of the those brittle starfish there are almost in every hole of the rock you see legs some bigger than others does anyone know how to get rid of theese suckers i know they are good but i have a whole bunch that i would like to get rid of trhanks

 

[Misled]

You should just let them be. The population will increase or decrease dependent on food availability.

 

[cassklar]

They wont start to hurt my coral

 

[wbdevers]

Nope. They are gentle reef safe cleaners. I wish I had a ton more.

 

[Misled]

Nope, they're just scavengers.

 

[Misled]

There you go, send some to Wes!!!! :lol:

 

[wbdevers]

LOL!!! I'll take 'em!!!

Jesse, not sure which movie your avatar is from but, "Doctor, doctor, doctor.....and doctor."

 

[jokim]

yeah i hear when they get big they can be a problem, but usually they are good to have. mine hide and you can sometiems see their legs unless im feeding.

 

[breiter3]

The mini brittle stars will never get big. That's what's great about them. They are a benign addition to your tank that is a gray part of any clean up crew. From experience they will self regulate their population, so don't worry about them and enjoy the show a night! I'll see mine dancing on the rocks sometimes when they are spawning. Very neat little buggers

 

[mndfreeze]

people kill to have tons of mini stars. They are AMAZING at detrius cleaning! People buy them on the net for outragous prices. They are not the same as the large ones.

 

[Angel*Fish]

Exactly! It's critters like these that can help you avoid things like hair algae. Unless you are sure that they are causing some kind of problem, it would be a mistake to get rid of them. I will take them off your hands, though

If they were in my tank, I'd be sure and research any new fish additions to make sure they wouldn't eat the mini stars.

 

[jeremyblu]

should keep them they do pretty good on alga i realy only grab the ones that i can snag right in the front

 

[jdyer88]

i agree with everyone here. I ave a TON of these guys in my 180. Its like a brittle star show after the lights go out. They are floating around the tank crawling all over everything, really cool. I have seen them crawling all over corals, clams, prized palys, and they have never caused any damage

 

[Misled]

 

[Ethan_W]

i had probably a hundred before i changed my aquascaping around. then they spawned right after and seemed to disappear for a little. thankfully they are coming back now. they dont bother anything and they just eat extra food. dont worry about taking them out

 

[aleonn]

My mini Brittle starfish are all over the sand and rocks, and haven't harmed anything.

 

[mr.mdx]

they wont do any damage.

 

[lacosta28]

I want some of these things in my tank. I wonder if my LFS carries them.

 

[kctango]

This is the brittle star that you have to worry about

http://reefhobbyistmagazine.com/archives/vol_5/issue17/pages/32.htm

 

[WXB]

The only thing i can say is they will breed themselves into death. They will only get to the point that they can sustain life.they wont over take your tank. so dont worry about them. Look at is a free life that helps maintain your tanks health. My 6line eats them. Its awsome. I have had a bloom and a half of them. but the 6 line is taking care of that problem.