green Brittle starfish

[sqrunt69]

Has anybody experience there brittle starfish eating there live stock? I seem to have lost a clownfish; yellowtail damsel and a flame angel. I have looked for them but they are nowhere to be found. They were there on day and the next they were gone. I have done regular H2O changes and have had my water checked on a weekly basis by my LFS, all parameteres excellent. my other livestock are doing fine. all comments are welcomed.
Thank you

 

[kogle]

I have a green brittle star that is about 18 inches from tip to tip. To answer your question I have had livestock disappear. Not all in the same day though. is it possible something such as bad water parameters killed your fish and the GBS ate them? They are known to hunt but most of the time they're content to be fed. Are you feeding the star? if they are underfed they will hunt.
I finally had to move mine to my sump. I couldn't keep any kind of goby or shrimp in the tank for more than a week...

 

[sea_nacl_h2o]

the green brittle star. (The Green Death
is what a lot of people call them.) They are known to eat sleeping fish ..I have one and I feed it raw shrimp, a few times a week or when ever its central disc is flat. When ingesting a large meal, the disc may assume the proportions of a large marble or golf ball. If your green brittle star is eating your fish its central disc will be large. It takes a while for the disc to go flat, some times a couple of days. They can make great pets if you feed them every once in a while. These brittle stars can't just live on what ever left over food your fish don't eat. Some times they need a big meal, that will keep them from eating your fish. Yes they can be good scavengers but they need to be fed other food. It is a lot of fun watching my green brittle star grab some raw shimp from my fingers. Also when I have some extra seafood I give it pieces of squid, clam and raw marine fish as an extra treat.

 

[sqrunt69]

I think you miss understood the 3 i lost was with in the last month or so, my water chemistry is good to go, i have it checked every week and water changes every month. I also have feed the star some crab; it has grown very large and likes to hide under the rock work, like they are suppose to do. thank you for your comments.

 

[30-xtra high]

my brittle is 2 feet tip to tip, and it came from my friends tank where it ate a 3 inch yellow tang, 3 inch sailfin, numerous damsils, and other fish as well.. now i have it alone in my 30.

 

[ophiura]

They WILL eat dead fish, and it is important to rule this out as the more LIKELY possibility.
Please provide specific tank parameters. How long were the fish in the tank before disappearing. How old is the tank, and what are the other inhabitants.
It is easy to blame something that might have killed them, but the more likely scenario is that they died first.

 

[30-xtra high]

if you're talking to me..
the tank has been up for at least 4 years, all parameters are perfect :trites-0
trates-0 amonia-0 ph- 8.2 salinity- 1.024 temp.- 79
the tangs were in there for about a month, he found no remains of the yellow, and he watched the brittle catch and kill the sailfin, along with damsils., the other inhabitants are a 6 inch yellow, a 6 inch blue hippo, a 5 inch maroon, a 6 inch pink spotted goby (i think its a pink spooted?) some rock anemones, mushrooms,loads of hermits and snails, and other damsils such as chromis and such.

 

[ophiura]

Nope

Actually it was to the original poster. Sorry

 

[kogle]

Sounds underfed to me but this is just from my personal experiences. Mine never ate any coral though and the only fish he ate were inactive ones such as a goby and a lawn mower blenny. Try feeding it on a regular basis and see if that helps. I feed mine silversides, shrimp, and he aslo eats pellets.

 

[30-xtra high]

i feed mine 2-3 silversides a day :joy: he's a pig..