Serpent Star QUESTION

meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
OK...I got (not on purpose) a serpent with black bands on it.....I need to know if this type is a fish eater???? I know some serpents are more "dangerous" then others
when I saw it I tossed it in the 10G and have not seen one of my firefish since :( AND YES I checked all around the tank and floor...
I pulled it out if the 10G and it is now in the tote with the damsel
Here it is

 
S

smartorl

Guest
I have some black banded and some that are more purple. I like them, I find them to be attractive additions so to make sure they are safe, I do spotfeed. They will kill fish if hungry (as would you) so in order to have them, it's a tradeoff I am ok with. I have never lost a fish.
In the tote, you could condition it that when the fish are fed, he will be fed. I feed bits of scallop about once or twice a week when I feed the anemones. They get fed after I feed the fish. If I am not feeding them, they will grab at the fish food. They seem to learn to look for food at feeding time, not hunt my fish.
Sorry for the ramble, at the beach on my phone!
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
At the beach!!!! You suck....LOl
Well I have searched everywhere and the FF is nowhere to be found......I feed all my tanks well though...so who knows....It is in the tote for now until I decide
I do have a serpent in the 225G along with 2 brittles.....1 brittle in the 29G and 1 brittle in the 54G
Never had an issue....I just remember reading that SOME types of serpents are fish eaters...
 
lmecher

lmecher

Member
I was under the impression the only dangerous ones are the green brittle stars. They set a trap and will eat fish. All of the serpent (smooth like yours) and brittles are peaceful scavengers great addition to your clean up crew. They all will go after fish or inverts if they die. That being said, if you are convinced it is the culprit you should go with your instinct and remove it. I have heard occasions where people swear their stars are responsible for loss of fish, snails, crabs and corals. Could it be, the fish died and then the star went after it. That's what a clean up crew does.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
All I know is I had 2 firefish...added this serpent...I now have 1...

I have searched all around the tank (best I could) Maybe the 10g is too small for a serpent ... altho I feed well
 
S

smartorl

Guest
All I have to say is "that crazy cat musta done it"!
It's never fun when someone is going rogue. In my favorite reef, it's an outlaw lawnmower blenny. My poor, poor trigger is tramatized.
 
chain

chain

Member
All brittle stars and serpent stars are opportunistic eaters. Therefore theoretically they all will kill and eat whatever they can get ahold of. Most people have no issues with them when they are young; however as they grow and get larger they appear to become more aggressive towards other fish/inverts in the tank. This could be caused by two things. 1.) That brittle/serpent stars genuinely get more aggressive with age (many species of inverts and fish follow this pattern), or 2.) they require more frequent and larger feedings which many people don't provide. They stick the star on the same spot feeding diet and don't alter it as the invert grows and requires more food. This will result in the star looking elsewhere for that extra nutrition. A combination of both of these is also a definite possibility. Some people never have any issues with their brittle or serpent star; however from research its very evident that serpents are far more mis-behaved then most brittles are. If given the choice between the two I would almost always pick brittle; however I don't keep either anymore after a 12 incher I had ate 7 fish. Got 4 green chromis, 2 occelaris clowns, and a mandarin I sadly was forced to watch and attempted to save. Many of the species are listed as reef safe. Take this with a grain salt. I look at them as I look at a dwarf angel. May or may not be a problem now or later on. Completely up to chance. All you can do is your best. If you can find the stars lair and it did in fact eat your firefish, then you might find the bones down there. Mines lair looked like the lions den off of the "ghost and the darkness"
 
lmecher

lmecher

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/384206/serpent-star-question#post_3365515
All I have to say is "that crazy cat musta done it"!
It's never fun when someone is going rogue. In my favorite reef, it's an outlaw lawnmower blenny. My poor, poor trigger is tramatized.
I have one that is obsessed with my tanks. We have a camera on my 120 w/night vision. I am glad we have a secure lid or he'd be swimming.
Look what we frequently see when we review the film. (at appx 30 seconds in, notice the dog walk past the camera. They were having a party that night.)
 
mkroher

mkroher

Member
A brittle in a 29? whoa.. I have two brittles in a 75. I did a water change after the lights went out.. looking top down I never realized how huge they were. They were almost extended from the front to the back.. touching the glass! My wife is now scared of them after seeing how large they are.
Just wanted to share

Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/384206/serpent-star-question#post_3365018
At the beach!!!! You suck....LOl
Well I have searched everywhere and the FF is nowhere to be found......I feed all my tanks well though...so who knows....It is in the tote for now until I decide
I do have a serpent in the 225G along with 2 brittles.....1 brittle in the 29G and 1 brittle in the 54G
Never had an issue....I just remember reading that SOME types of serpents are fish eaters...
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/384206/serpent-star-question#post_3365515
All I have to say is "that crazy cat musta done it"!
It's never fun when someone is going rogue. In my favorite reef, it's an outlaw lawnmower blenny. My poor, poor trigger is tramatized.

I am going to go with the kitty theory...FF are jumpers, and if he went carpet surfing it wouldn't take long for Meowzer the cat to find a tasty treat. I have never had any problems with serpent stars.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I had a a serpent just like that one eat a goby on me. In a 10G, I wouldn't even second guess that the starfish got to a small fish such as a firefish.
 
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