green brittle star (ophiarachna incrassata)

[wronny]

i have a green star and i injured its one leg cutting off with cleaner magnets and i noticed he is starting to lose his small white tenicles all over and some are turning black ,,ive read some have black and white ,,is this a change from age or due to the injury, he only lost about 1 inch of one tenicle,,it has been weeks since the injury,,seems to be getting around ok,,just concerned if his life is limited

 

[wronny]

you have a problem

 

[granny]

Brittle stars can, under optimal tank conditions, regenerate a lost limb, or a portion of one as long as the central disc in not damaged. However, if mobility is limited, they will have difficulty eating and in your case, may have gotten a bacterial infection.
This may sound creepy, but if you damaged a portion of one leg and it was all raggedy, you would have been wise to do a nice clean amputation, put some iodine on it(yes, iodine) and wait for regrowth, which is not fast under any circumstances.
I had a yellow angel who ate the tips off my poor brittle and they are just now starting to grow back. It has been months. (the angel went back to the LFS)
If you have a local marine biologist, I wou ld sugest contacting them to see if they can help your brittle star. My LFS also does fish/invert medical intervention for people. I have seen them spend $40 medication on a $3 fish! They are great guys!

 

[ophiura]

I see no reason to treat it if the tank conditions are ideal. I would really not suggest doing so. I've got several brittlestars, most of which where in some state of, well, dying when purchases. Two of my greens had lost ALL of their arms and are now big and healthy. The cause, and solution...water parameters.
The common name of these animals refers to their ability to readily lose arms, which is a defensive adaptation. There should be no problem whatsoever. Diseases are actually quite rare in brittlestars due to the fact they have a rather extraordinary set of symbiotic bacteria.
However if it continues to lose parts, then there is something wrong. Please provide your specific tank parameters. How long have you had it? What and how often do you feed it? Please know that what can be "pristine" for fish can be fatal for these animals.
IMO, the absolute best medication will be an ideal tank