Feeding serpent star: how much, how often?

[pseudorand]

This is Norbert. New to the tank and already eats out of my hand. I plan to feed him a 1/4" piece of grocery store shrimp once a week or so.

Too much? Too little?

He may have eaten an astrea snail, but not enough evidence to convict, which is good because I like him. Mostly I'm trying to keep him docile by feeding, though I don't think the red ones are supposed to eat things that aren't dead yet.

 

[User1]

What sort of serpent star are we talking about? Picture?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have two huge ones (about 10" each) and feed them nothing. They find food, detritus, etc

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is Norbert. New to the tank and already eats out of my hand. I plan to feed him a 1/4" piece of grocery store shrimp once a week or so.

Too much? Too little?

He may have eaten an astrea snail, but not enough evidence to convict, which is good because I like him. Mostly I'm trying to keep him docile by feeding, though I don't think the red ones are supposed to eat things that aren't dead yet.

This is a brittle star

 

[pseudorand]

Sorry, I forgot the picture. I edited the post to add it.

 

[Big C]

I’ve had a brittle star for 4 years and have yet to feed it directly.

 

[pseudorand]

This is a brittle star

Good to know. How do you tell?

 

[pseudorand]

Good to know. How do you tell?

Ah, spines on the arms.

But to be fair, the interwebs say brittle stars are a type of serpent star. :)

 

[User1]

This is a brittle star

Agreed. It is not what I was fearing which is the Ophiarachna incrassata or Green Brittle Star. That lad, is, well a killing machine and no fish is safe. I owned one and my first major screw up when starting out. I found it odd that at night I would see it raised up on its legs like a tunnel or cave. Always near rocks. Well, they do that for a reason :)

http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/giant-green-brittle-stars-of-death-when.html

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

I have had three brittle stars and one serpent star in my 120g tank since day one, almost four years ago. The first six months I was under the impression that I had to feed these guys on occasion, but since then I've let them do their thing on their own and have never fed them again. They're healthy and huge and self-sufficient.