Brittle Stars

[ginger7286]

I have been feeding my brittle stars meaty frozen foods (thawed)every other night. They seem happy and healthy but who knows. Is this a good feeding schedule...more, less?

 

[greenbean36191]

I would be feeding a lot less. These guys need surprisingly little food (that's not to say you should starve them though) and they will find some on their own in the tank. I personally wouldn't feed more often than every other week, but if you aren't having nutrient problems there is no reason you need to cut back.

 

[invertaman]

I have a questio that is off the subject but, will brittle stars eat detrius?

 

[ROB2005]

Do what I do when I feed my fish. If they immediately pop out just as the food is added to the water, that means they need something to feed their bellies with. If they dont appear, they dont need anything.

Or to make it simpler, I feed them once every five days

Answering your question, they dont really eat that much detritus, they would mostly prefer to go and much on dying fish or rotting flesh.

 

[ginger7286]

okay thanks

 

[philter4]

I don't know what sp of brittlle stars you guys are keeping, but I keep several serpent stars, including the atlantic reds, tiger and guady stars. All of mine are very agressive (for a star) feeders and get fed every day. Mine have good color and growth. When I go on collecting trips and my girlfriend feeds, if the trip is longer then 2 weeks, many times the stars are less vivid and some even missing legs. It takes a lot of food to regrow the limbs. If you are happy with the health I wouldn't change what you are doing, but IMO weekly feeding and detritus isn't enough to keep them long term. In the wild the ones I keep are very active feeders and feed nightly, it is the easiest way to collect them- go after sunset and put out food near a ledge in reef, within a few minutes several reds will be out to get the food. If they were ok with light feedings I would think they wouldn't be so hungry as to attack food with the amount and quality of foods available to them any night that I'm not there.

 

[ROB2005]

I have the common brown serpent stars, If I feed them daily, they dont want it. However when I do it in 4-5 day intervals they run out to come and dine on the silversides I feed them.

 

[greenbean36191]

There's a difference between needing to eat and wanting to eat, especially when we're talking about opportunists. Crabs will almost always eat if you bait them too, but that doesn't mean they need to eat all the time.

These stars are well documented to last for months at a time without any food and no apparent harm. When I was in the Bahamas working with these things after a week without feeding there was no difference in response to stimuli, righting time, survival when they were tethered, or difference in appearance as compared to freshly collected stars.

 

[philter4]

Because an animal can live with very little food doesn't mean that it is the right conditions. I am only saying that in the wild these animals are feeding every day, it may not be a big meal, but they are out looking and actively feeding. For regrowth and reproduction I don't believe it would be possible for active hunting stars like the serpents to survive long term. This is not to say they would die, or that many animals that are less active would suffer, only that the tropical stars that I keep hunt. Many deep water animals and many sedentary animals would probably be fine, I also said that if the schedule you are using is ok, don't change, I only know the animals that I deal with and collect. The serpent stars I keep activly hunt, and in the absence of food while I'm on trips they don't look as good, but they do survive.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

i have not fed my black brittle star once directly...had him almost a year now and every one of his legs has grown about 2"...he was a about 4" when i got him and is well over 7" across now...

mine comes out everyday when i feed the tank..i see his little arms sticking out to grab what ever he can of the Ultramin and flake food...

when i feed my nem, plate and Rics...(every three days or so) he comes right out of the rocks and grabs a couple pieces of bryne and mysis...not sure if he can grab the rotifers and cyclops though...

 

[mrme]

Brittle stars are a little hardier then the Serpent stars.
I've had a Brittle now for 4 years, got him when he was large (8" arm length) He hasn't grown much, but has regrown 1 leg and is regrowing one currently. I don't give him much food at all, but every so often i give him a big chunk of mysis or flake.
I actually planned to pick up some silversides and krill for him.
I'm sure he's gone two weeks with little to no food, and has been just fine.