creditgirl
New member
Any one have a green serpent star? If so, have you noticed missing fish in your tank?
Missing fish... Serpent Star the culprit?
- Thread starter creditgirl
- Start date
JoeyK@OCMD
New member
These stars will eat any fish they can catch. They tend to hunt at night when fish are resting in the rockwork. Fish stores sell these things as "reef safe" inverts, but that just means they woul'nt harm you corals
cotter4601
New member
I lost 2 clowns and 2 firefish only a few days after adding one. I thought since it was so small it wouldn't cause a problem. Boy was I wrong. I thought if I over feed a little it would have enough to scavenger.
JoeyK@OCMD
New member
Serpent stars are very aggressive hunters. I would try elegant brittle stars as an alternative, besides they look way cooler anyways
I have a serpent star. They aren't very aggressive. The fish eater is the green brittle star. I have had one of those in the past also. It is pictured about a quarter of the way down the page on this link.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestars.htm
It is a very aggressive eater and it can cram extremely large pieces of food inside its body. Don't get misinformed about all brittle stars and serpent stars. They don't all eat fish like the green death.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestars.htm
It is a very aggressive eater and it can cram extremely large pieces of food inside its body. Don't get misinformed about all brittle stars and serpent stars. They don't all eat fish like the green death.
JoeyK@OCMD
New member
I would never suggest that serpent stars are safe though. I have lost plenty of decorative shrimp to them also. But the green brittle stars can take down some very large fish
creditgirl
New member
Maybe the fish store mismarked him as a green serpent rather than a brittle star. I will have to look into the pics of this nasty little creature.
ophiuroid
Premium Member
Brittlestars and serpentstars are the same thing. There is NO biological distinction, and certainly no behavioral generalization that can be made. Hobbyists alone make this distinction and it is inconsistent and frankly meaningless.
The GREEN brittlestar Ophiarachna incrassata is a KNOWN predator in the wild. It is one of very few. Many people (not all, but many) assume that this animal is responsible for their losses with no proof whatsoever that it killed and ate a healthy fish. Keep that in mind. It is easier for us, by nature, to believe everything is healthy and was killed, than to accept it may have died...in which case a brittlestar is a very handy creature to have.
As an aside, it may have been tongue in cheek, maybe not...But they are not "nasty" creatures. They have instincts, and the demands of this HOBBY have resulted in their capture and being sold. If anything, WE are the nasty creatures. Sorry, but I have studied these animals a long time and I don't like to see them maligned
Green brittlestars may or may not be predatory. I have 3 very large green brittlestars and they may have eaten a cleaner shrimp and clown goby. But the clown goby was new in the tank...it is just as, if not more likely, that it DIED first. As for the cleaner shrimp, I had it a fairly long time, and with molts or something, it also may have died. More likely certain INDIVIDUALS of this species are very good hunters...I know I have one that is far more aggressive than the 2 others.
NEVER ever leave a brittlestar to scavenge. Highly opportunistic and adaptable, many (but not all) can use their skills. They are not all predatory, but DEPRIVED of food, anything is fair game. Many have not eaten in a long time, so how can you blame them? Having said that, feeding may not prevent problems either (though lack of will definitely result in problems) the goal in life is to grow large and reproduce. They have lost this game through no fault of their own, but do not "know" it...so if a meal passes by, then they will go for it, and not give a darn if you paid $50 for it. WE as hobbyists take the risk when buying things, and WE take the responsibility when things get eaten. You can not have a tank reflecting a natural ecosystem but not have natural ecology at work.
Do not lump brittle/serpentstars in all the same group, as you can have brittlestars starve to death in captivity.
I would suggest if you worry about losing anything that you not keep any brittle/serpentstars.
The GREEN brittlestar Ophiarachna incrassata is a KNOWN predator in the wild. It is one of very few. Many people (not all, but many) assume that this animal is responsible for their losses with no proof whatsoever that it killed and ate a healthy fish. Keep that in mind. It is easier for us, by nature, to believe everything is healthy and was killed, than to accept it may have died...in which case a brittlestar is a very handy creature to have.
As an aside, it may have been tongue in cheek, maybe not...But they are not "nasty" creatures. They have instincts, and the demands of this HOBBY have resulted in their capture and being sold. If anything, WE are the nasty creatures. Sorry, but I have studied these animals a long time and I don't like to see them maligned
Green brittlestars may or may not be predatory. I have 3 very large green brittlestars and they may have eaten a cleaner shrimp and clown goby. But the clown goby was new in the tank...it is just as, if not more likely, that it DIED first. As for the cleaner shrimp, I had it a fairly long time, and with molts or something, it also may have died. More likely certain INDIVIDUALS of this species are very good hunters...I know I have one that is far more aggressive than the 2 others.
NEVER ever leave a brittlestar to scavenge. Highly opportunistic and adaptable, many (but not all) can use their skills. They are not all predatory, but DEPRIVED of food, anything is fair game. Many have not eaten in a long time, so how can you blame them? Having said that, feeding may not prevent problems either (though lack of will definitely result in problems) the goal in life is to grow large and reproduce. They have lost this game through no fault of their own, but do not "know" it...so if a meal passes by, then they will go for it, and not give a darn if you paid $50 for it. WE as hobbyists take the risk when buying things, and WE take the responsibility when things get eaten. You can not have a tank reflecting a natural ecosystem but not have natural ecology at work.
Do not lump brittle/serpentstars in all the same group, as you can have brittlestars starve to death in captivity.
I would suggest if you worry about losing anything that you not keep any brittle/serpentstars.
