Brittle Star

[Kapachuka3]

Been looking into Brittle stars, ive never actually bought one but u have had one as a hitchhiker and it didnt live long i dont think. I tried a sandsifting star since i heard they were more hardy than chocolate chip or other normal looking stars. I know next to nothing about brittles, they are hardier right? I have a 32.5 gallon would on fit in the tank?

 

[Kapachuka3]

Will not try anymore “normal” looking stars until they are captive bred.

 

[Fish & Coral Store]

We have a brittle star for sale in our shop.

 

[Tahoe61]

I avoid Serpent Stars, in a sump fine, in the display no. They steal food from corals. There's documentation of Serpents eating sleeping fish, which doesn't surprise me in the least. Over the years I have had 4.

 

[penfold2]

Brittle stars are much hardier than other starfish because they will eat meaty food. This makes them very unlikely to starve, unlike stars with more specialized diets. As the other poster said though, they are actually very aggressive feeders that will steal food from corals. I enjoy spot feeding my corals, so I avoid any brittle/serpent stars and cleaner shrimp that will interfere with that.

 

[areefer01]

There are some that are reef safe with the typical "with caution" or "in my experience" tags. Having said that the one you want to be aware of is the Green Brittle Star (Ophiarachna incrassata. This little lad or lass is a predator be it invertebrate or fish. Some say only small fish but if truth be told they have a trick that will be in a darker part of the reef structure and sit or rest on its arm tips making something that an animal can pass through or under. As the fish passed under or threw it will quickly wrap it up in a full body spiral motion and proceed to have dinner.

So while some safe they are safe they really are not as they will eat any unsuspecting fish or invert that passes under.

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

 

[Rollnwthdatide]

Your best bet is micro brittle stars..and sand sifting stars are for extremely large aquariums but even then they usually starve and die.

 

[ColorMeGone]

I have micro brittle stars and feed them a few times a week when I feed my corals.
They like blood worms and mysis shrimp. I just see their arms sticking out but have never seen more than that since I put them in around Thanksgiving. Fun stuff.

 

[Fish & Coral Store]

I have micro brittle stars and feed them a few times a week when I feed my corals.
They like blood worms and mysis shrimp. I just see their arms sticking out but have never seen more than that since I put them in around Thanksgiving. Fun stuff.