Plague of Green Brittle Starfish!!!!

[dhav]

I have a 55 gallon reef tank and recently had 2 of my antheis disappear. No skeleton found of the two fish. Anyways, when my lights were off i began to see my brittle legs all over the tank. I saw them in every rock and even some on the sand bed. It's getting to look pretty creepy in there. My cleaner shrimp stays away from the rocks during lights-out. What should i do? If the brittle is going to take over the tank, i need a solution.
Please help

 

[reefer545]

green brittle stars are not reef safe. Pretty, yes, but not reefe safe. Take them out, adn trade themin for any other color brittle. Good luck.

 

[renogaw]

well, if you want NO star fishes, get a harlequin shrimp. once the starfish are under control, you can get rid of it or it will die.
i would bet though that they did not kill your anthias.

 

[m0nk]

Are you sure they're green? Anyway, I've seen my Coral Banded Shrimp eating mine, although the ones that have bred like bunnies in my tanks are the white ones and they don't hurt anything. I haven't heard of a starfish eating a fish, though. Inverts, yes, but dunno about fish, or if that's even possible.

 

[dhav]

I know it's dark green because i bought one and after its legs came apart, i didnt see him for months. I suppose I really wasn't looking for him because I thought he just died. My water conditions are great. Also, my corals are doing fine. It's tough to take them out because they only come out at night and once i get too close to them, they slither back into the rocks or some other form of cover that I can't reach.
harlequin shrimp?? I have a cleaner shrimp currently, can harlequin shrimp and my cleaner shrimp co-exist?
What other methods can i try...Please help....

 

[dhav]

bump!

 

[renogaw]

they should be fine, but harlequins ONLY eat starfish. once they are gone, you'll have to find a home for them, keep buying star fish, or let it die.

 

[essop3]

Green brittle stars eat fish. It's common behavior for them.
I think you'd be best to trap it and trade it in. They will come out after lights out so at night place a tall glass in the tank, near it's lair. Put something meaty in the glass as bait. Watch for it to go into the glass after the food. This is an old trick to catch crabs. You don't have to watch it with crabs since they can't get back out but you'll have to catch the star while it's in there. They could easily get back out.

 

[ric maniac]

Originally Posted by essop3
Green brittle stars eat fish. It's common behavior for them.
I think you'd be best to trap it and trade it in. They will come out after lights out so at night place a tall glass in the tank, near it's lair. Put something meaty in the glass as bait. Watch for it to go into the glass after the food. This is an old trick to catch crabs. You don't have to watch it with crabs since they can't get back out but you'll have to catch the star while it's in there. They could easily get back out.
i agree with this. its the only good way do do it.

 

[smoothie]

Mine is almost 2ft across now and I am feeding it a whole shrimp, oyster or small fish filet twice a week. When I put in dt's for my corals the bugger comes rushing out like crackhead and shoots up the glass for the baster. Freaks the wife out!

 

[kogle]

My green brittle star was fine in my reef as long as I kept him fed. He got to almost two feet across.

 

[dwendler4]

smoothie... PLEASE tell me you have a picture of this 2 foot star?!?!

 

[smoothie]

I'll swipe the wifey's camera and see what I can do.
Just moved so I'm having a blast re-rearranging my scape.

 

[ophiura]

Originally Posted by dhav
I have a 55 gallon reef tank and recently had 2 of my antheis disappear. No skeleton found of the two fish. Anyways, when my lights were off i began to see my brittle legs all over the tank. I saw them in every rock and even some on the sand bed. It's getting to look pretty creepy in there. My cleaner shrimp stays away from the rocks during lights-out. What should i do? If the brittle is going to take over the tank, i need a solution.
Please help

Do you have green brittlestars? Or do you have hitch hiker mini brittlestars? I'm confused by the description you are giving of the arms?
Not all brittlestars are problems, including green brittlestars, and due to the HIGHLY sensitive nature of anthias, I would be slow to blame a brittlestar. Please post your tank parameters. The fact that the arms fell off the brittlestar has me concerned - anthias are very delicate as well.
Brittlestars WILL eat DEAD fish, and I would always assume they died first. How far apart did you lose these fish? How long after introduction?
If you have a green brittlestar, how large is it, and how often do you feed it?