overrun with baby brittles?

[okiereefer2]

Bought a couple of brittlestars from swf.com about 1 1/2 yrs ago for our 120 reef tank..Theyve probably doubled in size(10-12" tip to tip, at least), and right now, with just a quick search of the rocks, could easily find 100 sets of tiny legs poking out, feeling around the rocks. These are all colored, blackish looking.
In addition to these, I have just as many baby white stars, usually under a rock that gets moved occasionally for cleaning up around and leveling of the sand a bit. These dont really look at all like what Im thinking are the baby brittles.But recently these white ones are showing up out in the open. They'll get in behind the clear silicone(I assume) corners of the tank where the front and side glass meet. Also I keep a magnetic glass cleaner in the tank all the time and there are 18(just counted) there between the glass and the somewhat porous scraper.
I'd read somewhere these white ones weren't brittlestars at all, just probably some hitchiker, and I should just enjoy the diversity.
Anyone had this kind of population explosion with stars? It would be next to impossible to remove them from the tank with out some natural predator which probably would also feast on something I'm not overrun with.
Any suggestions/feedback appreciated..

 

[saxman]

What you're seeing are micro-brittles...depending on where they live, they can be off-white (substrate-dwellers), or white with black or reddish banding on their "arms" (rock-dwellers). Altho they are related to your larger brittles, they are not the same species. Micro-brittles stay small, about the size of a quarter (arm-span), and are common hitchhikers. They're really great "freebie" members of your CUC.
To be honest, you should ask if anyone can use some.
That being said, we kept a mandarin and a leopard wrasse for 8 years+, and they would eat them whenever they saw them. The mandy would suck them up repeatedly until it picked them apart enuff to eat. The only "trouble" if one wanted the stars eaten might be the fact that they're nocturnal and most fish that would eat them are diurnal, so their paths may not cross as much as you'd like.
Maybe a pair of harlequin shrimp would help...

 

[flower]

I will pay the shipping if you will send them to me....I will take all you want rid of. Shipping is easy, PM me if you want to do this, and I will tell you how to go about it.

 

[slice]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/395569/overrun-with-baby-brittles#post_3522140
I will pay the shipping if you will send them to me....I will take all you want rid of. Shipping is easy, PM me if you want to do this, and I will tall you how to go about it.
Don't listen to Flower..send them to ME!!
My Sixline will be happy for a week!...nom nom nom....

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///t/395569/overrun-with-baby-brittles#post_3522151
Don't listen to Flower..send them to ME!!
My Sixline will be happy for a week!...nom nom nom....
LOL...Now I can't fix my typo from tall to tell.
I can't imagine not wanting micro-brittle stars...they are so helpful, and can get wasted food from deep in the rocks. Fish food...NOOOOOooooooo.
OKIEREEFER2, If you are overrun...don't worry, they will naturally die off as food is less abundant. Just like a bristle worm baby boom, overfeeding allows them to populate in abundance. Believe it or not one site sells micro brittles for around $30.00 for something like 5 of them....I don't remember the name of the site now, but it was a set up your refugium kind of place.
P.S.
I found the place...LOL...Close to $35.00 for 6 of them. Indo-Pacific sea farms...LOL, and you don't want them in your tank. Send them to me...I asked first.

 

[okiereefer2]

Thanks so much for the feedback...I guess I'll just keep em and let em do their thing..Honestly dont know how I'd ever get em out to send to anyone anyway..

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by OKIEREEFER2 http:///t/395569/overrun-with-baby-brittles#post_3522570
Thanks so much for the feedback...I guess I'll just keep em and let em do their thing..Honestly dont know how I'd ever get em out to send to anyone anyway..
LOL...Those tiny little critters would be very hard to "catch" you would have to bait some kind of trap to attract them. Mostly it was a good natured joke...the goal was to kind of get you to understand how great they really are. They are a treasure to have in your system, and folks pay big bucks for them.
When I first started with Saltwater, a wise lady once told me that if I see something I don't like in my fish tank...don't fret, wait a few weeks, it will change on its own.