green brittle star

[dkerns06]

Has anyone ever had any problems with green brittle stars being predatory? I have had several seemingly healthy fish go missing, one just recently.

I can't figure out whats going on because I test after every water change and everything is within spec.

I had read mixed reaction on green brittle stars possibly being able to take out smaller and slow moving fish. For example one sited specifically smaller sleeping wrasses, which is the fish that just vanished recently. Also a purple psuedocromis and a yellow watchman goby. All healthy and eating and one day just vanished out of thin air.

The star in question is over 18" from tip to tip and has been removed to the sump.

 

[BBoley24]

I haven't my guy is huge... I LOVE HIM because hes always lurking... he eats dead fish for all i know... he is WAY too slow to catch anything in my tank.

 

[ali lilikoi]

They can be predator. Had a yellow one. And he actully ate two regular fire fish and another purple fire fish. Ate a wrasse and yellow watch man. But I still keep him around. Don't know why but I like the fellow. So yea watch him and try to get slow fish and small fish. Good luck

 

[ali lilikoi]

Meant not to get slow and small fish. Lol.

 

[brettnleslie]

Do a search on the web for Green Brittle Star. You will find a lot of information on this creature. Here is one link.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestars.htm

They are a predatory creature. They are NOT reef safe nor fish only systems safe. They will feed on fish a night when they are sleeping.

I would get them out and put them in your sump where they could be of benefit.

Good luck!

 

[Spyder_78]

I had one that was definitely a predator. It would hide under a rock with one arm sticking out about an inch off the ground, when something would swim under the arm it would try and grab it. I seen it do this many times, it did not always catch what was there but I found out that they can be surprisingly fast when they want to be.

 

[dkerns06]

Yea, I moved it into the sump the day I made that post. Thanks for the replies. I had read a lot about the possibilities of them taking out slower fish. It was one of the first animals I bought 5 years ago when I was just going to do a fish only tank, and for years it never bothered anything. So it must have just figured out how to kill with in the last year or 2.