The tank is a 75 gallon, 75lbs live rock, yada yada.... Anyways, I have one false perc clown (less than 1"), one chromi, and one sand sifting goby. I also have a pretty big bristle starfish. Anyways, I feed the fish 1/4 cube of brine shrimp one day, then a tiny bit of flakes the next. The starfish gets 1 piece of krill every other day. Do I need to increase my feeding?
Underfeeding fish & starfish?
- Thread starter haywood2
- Start date
Aquarist007
New member
Bertoni:
do brittle star fish eat waste, extra flake food etc etc
I feel bad now, I have never fed my brittle anything--same with the four shrimp
Thats a good question. I was of the opinion that they were scavengers that came out at night and gave my live rock the once over. I've only fed him once or twice by throwing some pellets into his hole.
My cleaner shrimp are pigs that will do anything to get at the food. They get on my nerves.
Aquarist007
New member
hmmm a skewer--I guess if you miss then its shrimp cocktail time in the Agu house:lol:
Seriously, my brittle star stays behind the reef and so do the shrimp--how do you target feed them.
I guess I could throw in some pieces of raw shrimp at night when the fish are sleeping
blanx
New member
capn_hylinur
i have 2 stars they are both started out the same way. But i could always see a arm moving around. I use Forceps to hold silversides or shrimp. i put the food near the arm and my stars grab the food. When i used my hands it would hit my hand and pull back.
My large green one now comes out when i feed and is quite the eater. i recently lost a larger fish and he cleaned up the mess prior to me getting home.
i have 2 stars they are both started out the same way. But i could always see a arm moving around. I use Forceps to hold silversides or shrimp. i put the food near the arm and my stars grab the food. When i used my hands it would hit my hand and pull back.
My large green one now comes out when i feed and is quite the eater. i recently lost a larger fish and he cleaned up the mess prior to me getting home.
Aquarist007
New member
thanks guys----I really feel bad now--but I will definetly try to feed them.
Yeah as soon as mine smells the food for the other fish he comes completely out searching for food(w/lights on) I then hand feed him. One day one of my cerith snails got a hold of the shrimp right before the star did, then the star grabbed the snail in a tug of war. I had to stop that because I saw it going nowhere good for the snail. Thanks for the info, headin to the store now to maybe buy some more live rock.
i had a similar experience yesterday, i fed my flake for the fish and saw my green start to move out from under the rock so i dropped some shrimp pellets down. well it proceeds to start rounding them up, at the end of the trail was my large electric blue hermit. the brittle was trying to steal the pellet from him, but finally left him alone and moved off in the other direction and the hermit took his prize up the rockwork. it was quite funny to watch
Aquarist007
New member
black brown beige brittle---the same as mentioned above
otrlynn
Active member
Just to chime in...I've had a black/brown brittle star for about 20 months, first in a 29, now in my 58. I have never "fed" him per se. He gets to eat whatever may fall to the bottom of the tank from feeding the fish (Formula 2 pellets, frozen mysis, occasional flakes). He's increased in size considerably. I generally only feed once a day and I don't believe I am over-feeding. I don't believe he has ever bothered any livestock
jerryz
New member
I've got a green and a black both are largeish. As big as dinner plates. I don't feed them. The funny part is I don't feed my fish every day. Not quit every other day. More like like every 2.5 days. Been that way in this tank for a long time now. The funny part is everyone in my tank looks very healthy and the tank is thriving.
Aquarist007
New member
that's good to hear I am not the only one who inadvertingly starves brittles 
SteveNMegz
New member
Our serpant star always comes out when we feed the fish yesterday i actually took some fish flakes and brought them down to him and he wrapped him arms around my finger and took the flakes and ate them as well as our cleaner shrimp
