Mini Serpent Stars

labar914

labar914

New Member
I have what looks like mini serpent stars all over my 90 gal. reef. It has been up and running for about 8 months with 120 pounds of live rock. I am new to having a reef and was wondering what size I can expect these little guys to get and how many is to many (if there is such a thing)? The ones I can see range in size from about a dime to a quater with bodies about the size of a round pin head. Will anybody eat them? I have seen the large ones and also seen mini's sold by the dozen. When I feed the tank they all come out of the rocks and course sand, little bodies crawling everywhere, its a little creepy. Any info would be great. Thank You.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
There are at least two common hitch hiker brittlestars and both are considered quite desirable. Neither get large (stay about the size of a quarter total). The small white five armed brittlestars are Amphipholis squamata, and the 6 armed variety with banded arms are likely an Ophiactis brittlestar. Both good scavengers and eat detritus.
Hermits, various crabs, and certain fish would probably eat them...but I wouldn't want to eliminate them personally. You could sell them :) Also consider that they may bloom in relation to available nutrients. If you have a lot of them, you may need to address the amount of food going into the system.
 
labar914

labar914

New Member
Originally Posted by ophiura
Hermits, various crabs, and certain fish would probably eat them...but I wouldn't want to eliminate them personally. You could sell them :) Also consider that they may bloom in relation to available nutrients. If you have a lot of them, you may need to address the amount of food going into the system.
There are both the white 5 armed and the 6 armed banded varieties, each rock seems to have a different kind living on it. I know my protien skimmer shut off while I was away at school for the last 8 weeks, my husband was in charge for that time and he couldn't figure out how to get it out and clean it . I think he may feed everyone a bit more than I do, but when I asked him he said just a little! I probablly did have alot of "dirt" sitting around to be cleaned. So would you say I may be over feeding the tank if I have so many, or am I just really lucky?
Hmmmnn, sell them? How in the world do you catch them??!! They seem to just appear out of the smallest holes and disappear just as fast. If I picked up some sand I could get the little ones, about 1/4-1/2 of an inch, but they look so delicate. I have seen the bristle worm traps, might that work? I don't want to get rid of them, but I do have some friends that I think may benefit from a handful of the little guys.
Thanks for the quick response,
Michelle :cheer:
 
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