Brittle Starfish just crushed and ate my cleaner shrimp?!

gregghia

gregghia

Member
I can't believe it... I have a large starfish... I think its a brittle star. Purplish in color very slender legs and a distinct round center mass. Its at least 12" long from one leg to another. Anyway I also have 2 cleaner shrimp they have been in there for more than a year. I bought two more today. I put the two new ones in and within 3 minutes one of the new ones walked near the starfish that was basically under a rock. The starfish wrapped one of its legs around the shrimp like an anaconda and dragged it under the rock. The shrimp didn't even put up a fight!
Of course my first thought was GD it that was $20. Now I am wondering i this is normal???
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Yup, it is not unusual ESPECIALLY in a new shrimp which is stressed and weak and definitely an opportunity. I would always feed the brittlestar before adding a new animal like that. Definitely fair game I am afraid...that is pure instinct.
 
gregghia

gregghia

Member
Jeez I never knew... I had this star for a year and its huge! I have never specifically feed it. I figured it was just a filter feeder. But yeah it picked on the brand new shrimp no wonder the others stay on the complete opposite end of the tank.
Learn something all the time!
$20 just like that...
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
They definitely should be spot fed. That being said, it may not have prevented this. But it was certainly fair game. Its real important when adding any new animal that you basically "distract" the established animals in a tank.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Thanks for the advice ophiura. I too have a star about the same size as greg is describing. Succor stays tucked away 24/7 and like greg, I assumed he just feeds off of left overs after the lights go out. But...I did add a Bangaii and an orange spotted goby about 2 weeks ago, and both were never seen since. I assumed the Bangaii died and clean up crew took care of him, but the goby...I still keep looking for. But if this joker (the star) is possibly the culprit, then I might be moving some rock work and trading him in
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I have a green brittle star, which I know is agressive. He has eaten over 80 dollars worth of fish. A royal gramma, two clownfish, one lawnmower blennie and a pink spotted goby. What is worse is that I feed him a small raw shrimp every other day.
I'm about to give him away or resale him. He's very very cool, just kind of annoying.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Meanwhile I have at least 10 large brittlestars in a 45g - including 3 greens, along with a sixline wrasse and lots of inverts. I can't definitively say they ate ANYTHING. Perhaps a cleaner shrimp but there are lots of reasons animals die as well. Tempting as it is to think they are perfectly healthy and something KILLED it, often the stars are just scavenging the bodies.
Definitely do not assume they will pass up a free meal if you are not feeding them directly...but even if you are, they have no way of knowing when the next meal is, and instinct dictates they not risk waiting for it.
But there is NO DOUBT that these guys get the blame for things they did not do, but were simply caught cleaning up (which is what we hope they will do).
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/2595512
Meanwhile I have at least 10 large brittlestars in a 45g - including 3 greens, along with a sixline wrasse and lots of inverts. I can't definitively say they ate ANYTHING. Perhaps a cleaner shrimp but there are lots of reasons animals die as well. Tempting as it is to think they are perfectly healthy and something KILLED it, often the stars are just scavenging the bodies.
Definitely do not assume they will pass up a free meal if you are not feeding them directly...but even if you are, they have no way of knowing when the next meal is, and instinct dictates they not risk waiting for it.
But there is NO DOUBT that these guys get the blame for things they did not do, but were simply caught cleaning up (which is what we hope they will do).
Very good point...so I'm staying tuned to this thread

I was about at the point of wanting to pull mine tormorrow morning and trade him in. I mean, I rarely see him, and if there is a remote chance that he's eating the newbies, why not. And no, I have never spot fed mine, mainly because he is so hidden it takes 15 minutes to even find one of his legs peeping out in a 280 gal tank. He's kind of like my ball python....a really cool conversation piece, but you can never get him to come out to show people what you are even talking about
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
There is A LOT of room for a fish to go missing in a 280g tank, and many brittlestars are really just not capable of taking down a fish. the green brittlestar is a KNOWN predator in the wild of small fish and shrimp, but there is, even with them, individual variation in this behavior. Personally I would say more get the easy blame than actually cause problems.
 
gregghia

gregghia

Member
Ophiura,
I have another post going about my anemone and looking pitiful. Can't help but wonder if there was any conflict with him and the star? My whole tank is not so hot today so I will check parameters but any known issues with green bubble anemone and stars?
 
texasmetal

texasmetal

Active Member
Dang, that sucks. I had no idea they could be that aggressive. Whenever I feed my brittles I usually have to feed a little extra. My octopus tends to grab the stars and squish them until it gets the food away from them.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
That is interesting, I also have that species but it is very docile. Then again I feed A LOT specifically because of the brittles.
 
t316

t316

Active Member
Wow Greg....that's a good pic. I have never had mine come out fully in the open like that, unless he's doing it in the middle of the night and I don't see him. That looks just like mine, except mine is black, or very dark brown.
 
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