Freeze Dried Krill for Brittle Stars?
- Thread starter uberlink
- Start date
chipmaker
Active Member
All my birttles get is what they can when I feed the fish their regular diet....be it pellet or frozen homebrew food, and they do just fine. I am not overly keen on the freeze dried anyhting, as they all seem to be crispy critters with little content, and until you get it used up you wind up with lots of fines etc in the containers.
murph
Active Member
Like chip I do not specifically target feed my brittle star.
Its kind of funny this should be brought up as I noticed some behavior yesterday with my BS. I spent quite a few hours by the tank/tv during the football games. Commercial comes on attention goes to the tank. Works well.
During the first quarter of the Bengals debacle I noticed my Yellow Tang pinch off quite a load if you know what I mean. It settled to the front of the tank in plain view. Next commercial I notice an arm of my BS coming out from under a rock. The fine hairs/tentacles on the bottom of his arm where working the pieces of that turd toward his mouth like a little convare belt. Disgusting yet quite interesting. At least I know he is alive and doing his job as I had not seen him in a few weeks.
Funny thing is when I purchased my BS the LFS kind of discouraged the purchase, stating BS where carnivores and grew quite large. I knew from my research the BS where listed as detrivores. I think it may of had more to do with the LFS employee not wanting to put his hand in the tank and move some rock around to find one to sell me.
Either that or another case of the LFS not knowing his detrius from shinola
Its kind of funny this should be brought up as I noticed some behavior yesterday with my BS. I spent quite a few hours by the tank/tv during the football games. Commercial comes on attention goes to the tank. Works well.
During the first quarter of the Bengals debacle I noticed my Yellow Tang pinch off quite a load if you know what I mean. It settled to the front of the tank in plain view. Next commercial I notice an arm of my BS coming out from under a rock. The fine hairs/tentacles on the bottom of his arm where working the pieces of that turd toward his mouth like a little convare belt. Disgusting yet quite interesting. At least I know he is alive and doing his job as I had not seen him in a few weeks.
Funny thing is when I purchased my BS the LFS kind of discouraged the purchase, stating BS where carnivores and grew quite large. I knew from my research the BS where listed as detrivores. I think it may of had more to do with the LFS employee not wanting to put his hand in the tank and move some rock around to find one to sell me.
Either that or another case of the LFS not knowing his detrius from shinola
nytrillium
Member
How about the green brittle/serpent star? What are your opinions/experiences with them? I bought one for my tank from the LFS and read many posts on here of people saying that they are predators and will capture and eat small fish/clean up crew. He was the first inhabitant in my 30 gal tank and i have been target feeding him raw scallops/shrimp/whitefish soaked in vitamins. I feed him about every 2-3 days or if i see him out and about looking for food. So far (about 2 months) i havent had any casualties. I've got a LMB and a 3 stripe with some snails and a few emralds.
ophiura
Active Member
The green brittlestar is a KNOWN predator in the wild.
It may or may not display this behavior in captivity but it is for sure a risk. I have never experienced it but I absolutely believe others have...and I believe that they have experienced this with several other species as well.
Some species do grow very large as well. Some will easily be at least a foot from arm tip to arm tip.
Personally, I suggest spot feeding brittlestars because, although they scavenge, we tend to keep a lot of other clean up crew around. Brittlestars are highly opportunistic. If hungry, many can and will use various ways to get food, including eating other tank inhabitants. I "spot feed" by making sure that I feed shrimp pellets, etc and that the brittlestars DO get some. But I am always prepared for any to take out the shrimp or small fish. It is a definite risk with keeping them. Remember, there are well over 2000 species of brittlestars and not all of them behave exactly the same way.
It may or may not display this behavior in captivity but it is for sure a risk. I have never experienced it but I absolutely believe others have...and I believe that they have experienced this with several other species as well.
Some species do grow very large as well. Some will easily be at least a foot from arm tip to arm tip.
Personally, I suggest spot feeding brittlestars because, although they scavenge, we tend to keep a lot of other clean up crew around. Brittlestars are highly opportunistic. If hungry, many can and will use various ways to get food, including eating other tank inhabitants. I "spot feed" by making sure that I feed shrimp pellets, etc and that the brittlestars DO get some. But I am always prepared for any to take out the shrimp or small fish. It is a definite risk with keeping them. Remember, there are well over 2000 species of brittlestars and not all of them behave exactly the same way.
nytrillium
Member
Thanks very much for your expert opinion. I love this guy, he/she is about 6 inches from tip to tip right now and seems to be eating well..
when i first got it, the tips of a few of his arms had come off but they regrew in less than 2 weeks. I didnt realize at first that they do best in an established tank, but ive had it for about 2 mos. now and he's doing great. Hopefully it will continue. :happyfish
when i first got it, the tips of a few of his arms had come off but they regrew in less than 2 weeks. I didnt realize at first that they do best in an established tank, but ive had it for about 2 mos. now and he's doing great. Hopefully it will continue. :happyfish
uberlink
Active Member
Originally Posted by ophiura
Personally, I suggest spot feeding brittlestars because, although they scavenge, we tend to keep a lot of other clean up crew around. Brittlestars are highly opportunistic. If hungry, many can and will use various ways to get food, including eating other tank inhabitants. I "spot feed" by making sure that I feed shrimp pellets, etc and that the brittlestars DO get some. But I am always prepared for any to take out the shrimp or small fish. It is a definite risk with keeping them. Remember, there are well over 2000 species of brittlestars and not all of them behave exactly the same way.
What do you recommend for spot feeding?
Personally, I suggest spot feeding brittlestars because, although they scavenge, we tend to keep a lot of other clean up crew around. Brittlestars are highly opportunistic. If hungry, many can and will use various ways to get food, including eating other tank inhabitants. I "spot feed" by making sure that I feed shrimp pellets, etc and that the brittlestars DO get some. But I am always prepared for any to take out the shrimp or small fish. It is a definite risk with keeping them. Remember, there are well over 2000 species of brittlestars and not all of them behave exactly the same way.
What do you recommend for spot feeding?
nytrillium
Member
Well ophiura is the expert. but i think the eat just about anything that comes from the ocean. Scallops/shrimp/whitefish in your local seafood dept. that comes from the ocean. Just leave it raw and slice off a small piece and put it on a bamboo skewr (sp?) and put it by one of the starfishes legs. It will smell it and pull it off and eat it. Pretty cool to watch too!! ***)
I keep a bag of scallops in the freeezer and i leave one in its own bag that i shave off of. It lasts me at least 3 weeks or so.
I keep a bag of scallops in the freeezer and i leave one in its own bag that i shave off of. It lasts me at least 3 weeks or so.