Brittle star function?

[Reef_at_Sea]

Hello,

i have been looking into a brittle starfish & what their actual function is within our reef tanks?
Do they crawl between the hard to reach spots between the rocks where flow is low & eat the left over food & detritus?

Or are there better invert options for this?

Thanks :)

 

[VintageReefer]

Hello,

i have been looking into a brittle starfish & what their actual function is within our reef tanks?
Do they crawl between the hard to reach spots between the rocks where flow is low & eat the left over food & detritus?

Yes. They have long thin arms and can reach in crevices and cracks and behind rocks to capture leftover food and eat it before it wastes away.

Careful in your selection, some are peaceful and some can capture sleeping fish.

Or are there better invert options for this?

Thanks :)

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Yes. They have long thin arms and can reach in crevices and cracks and behind rocks to capture leftover food and eat it before it wastes away.

Careful in your selection, some are peaceful and some can capture sleeping fish.

Oof, i don't want them to catch my fish ha, wich are safe?

 

[VintageReefer]

Oof, i don't want them to catch my fish ha, wich are safe?

Double check me please

Of the commonly sold ones…
I believe the dark greens are the dangerous ones.

And then the brown / tan ones with black stripes are completely safe

There is a red also, I can’t remember it’s status

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Double check me please

Of the commonly sold ones…
I believe the dark greens are the dangerous ones.

And then the brown / tan ones with black stripes are completely safe

There is a red also, I can’t remember it’s status

Hmm, i just read that they can get pretty large. my tank is only 50gallons... :/
Maybe i should look towards other options.

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

Hmm, i just read that they can get pretty large. my tank is only 50gallons... :/
Maybe i should look towards other options.

Get some micro brittle starfish! They’re tiny

 

[VintageReefer]

This is the bad one

Giant Green Brittle Stars of DEATH!! When they ATTACK--AGAIN!!

With all of the vicious ophiuroid feeding going on, I am recently reminded by a neat paper written by James Morin at UCLA from the 198...

echinoblog.blogspot.com

This is a good one

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Get some micro brittle starfish! They’re tiny

Hmm, i should google this then ha.

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

Hmm, i should google this then ha.

Micro Brittle Starfish - Reef Genetics

Size: 1/2 inch to 1 inch Sustainably aquacultured in TSA Farm Systems Highly effective cleanup crew for removing detritus, uneaten feed and scrubbing the inner spaces of live rock. Absolutely reef safe for fish, corals and other invertebrate cleanup crew. Will breed in most home aquariums 10...

topshelfaquatics.com

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

Micro Brittle Starfish - Reef Genetics

Size: 1/2 inch to 1 inch Sustainably aquacultured in TSA Farm Systems Highly effective cleanup crew for removing detritus, uneaten feed and scrubbing the inner spaces of live rock. Absolutely reef safe for fish, corals and other invertebrate cleanup crew. Will breed in most home aquariums 10...

topshelfaquatics.com

Yeah i'm from the Netherlands, i need to find some over here.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Micro Brittle Starfish - Reef Genetics

Size: 1/2 inch to 1 inch Sustainably aquacultured in TSA Farm Systems Highly effective cleanup crew for removing detritus, uneaten feed and scrubbing the inner spaces of live rock. Absolutely reef safe for fish, corals and other invertebrate cleanup crew. Will breed in most home aquariums 10...

topshelfaquatics.com

OMG... I need to go into business selling them at that price!
But yes MBS are the best, but only a cog in the wheel of CUC

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Micro Brittle Starfish - Reef Genetics

Size: 1/2 inch to 1 inch Sustainably aquacultured in TSA Farm Systems Highly effective cleanup crew for removing detritus, uneaten feed and scrubbing the inner spaces of live rock. Absolutely reef safe for fish, corals and other invertebrate cleanup crew. Will breed in most home aquariums 10...

topshelfaquatics.com

OMG... I need to go into business selling them at that price!
But yes, MBS are the best, but only a cog in the wheel of CUC

 

[Reef_at_Sea]

OMG... I need to go into business selling them at that price!
But yes MBS are the best, but only a cog in the wheel of CUC

I allready have a bunch of snails & a couple of hermit crabs.
My sand is clean, it's just that i'm having trouble with left over food & detritus in between rocks where flow doesn't really blow it out.
Most Hermit crabs can't reach those places either because they like their big shells lol.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I allready have a bunch of snails & a couple of hermit crabs.
My sand is clean, it's just that i'm having trouble with left over food & detritus in between rocks where flow doesn't really blow it out.
Most Hermit crabs can't reach those places either because they like their big shells lol.

Coldwater micro brittles will also usually work if you acclimate them... just saying. In case you live near any rockpools.

 

[VintageReefer]

OMG... I need to go into business selling them at that price!
But yes, MBS are the best, but only a cog in the wheel of CUC

5$ a piece?!?! I could get rid of 100 tomorrow lol

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

5$ a piece?!?! I could get rid of 100 tomorrow lol

When I did my temperate tank transfer, I think I saved about a thousand... It just never ended... For a week I would stir up the gravel/sand and more would start climbing the glass. But I think they be like RBTA's the first one may be expensive, but your next 100 are free.... :thinking-face:

 

[VintageReefer]

When I did my temperate tank transfer, I think I saved about a thousand... It just never ended... For a week I would stir up the gravel/sand and more would start climbing the glass. But I think they be like RBTA's the first one may be expensive, but your next 100 are free.... :thinking-face:

Anytime I take a plug out of anywhere, there’s always one or two of these guys on it. I view them as pests now. Beneficial, useful, pests lol

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Anytime I take a plug out of anywhere, there’s always one or two of these guys on it. I view them as pests now. Beneficial, useful, pests lol

It's funny how the definition of pests is so loose in the reef community. Anything can be a pest. If you are successful, then you will create a pest situation. From corals to bristle worms. I traded one person a regular frag of stylo for a 15 head green branching hammer because it was going bonkers in her tank and she could not get rid of it fast enough.

 

[winxp_man]

This is the bad one

Giant Green Brittle Stars of DEATH!! When they ATTACK--AGAIN!!

With all of the vicious ophiuroid feeding going on, I am recently reminded by a neat paper written by James Morin at UCLA from the 198...

echinoblog.blogspot.com

This is a good one

Had the green that ate nems that would end up in the sand of my tank. Then the serpent ate the green brittle one day. It was a wreck show haha! I have to say they will all go after fish if they get to them while sleeping. My mandarins stay close to the ground, were as my 6 clowns all sleep above in the nems. Either way, I donated the Serpent once he ate the green at my LFS. Only to see him eating away at other serpent stars haha. Dude was a menace!

 

[winxp_man]

It's funny how the definition of pests is so loose in the reef community. Anything can be a pest. If you are successful, then you will create a pest situation. From corals to bristle worms. I traded one person a regular frag of stylo for a 15 head green branching hammer because it was going bonkers in her tank and she could not get rid of it fast enough.

Right! Seems everything is a pest these days! Haha. My tank is full of bristles. They go to town on left over food. Only silverside skeletons are left if they don’t make it to the over flow grill haha.