To people having a hard time spot feeding serpent/brittle stars...

[leigh]

There have been a lot of threads lately on spotfeeding serpent/brittle stars or other similar lines and I just thought I'd pass on a bit of encouragement. When I first got my serpent stars I had a ridiculously hard time target feeding them. I never knew where they were or when to feed them--feeding was really haphazard--if/when i saw them I ran to grab some food and tossed it in as close to them as possible. (I even used tweezers to stick food right on their arm.) I must've posted 10 times for Susan (Ophiura) to get help or clarification or just suggestions on the topic of spotfeeding alone. But guys--it's all good--your stars (brittles and serpents I'm talking about here) get more and more comfortable in the tank and grow accustomed to the routine. And it only gets easier if you stick to regular feeding attempts. I was amused just now, as mine have gotten so docile. I was spotfeeding my sun coral and one of the stars moseyed on up, stuck an arm all the way up to his armpit up the turkey baster (filled with thawed frozen plankton) pulled out an armful of the plankton, then moseyed on away. Needless to say it's not difficult to find them in my tank anymore ... So if you're having issues keeping your brittle/serpent stars fed--stick with it, be consistent--it gets easier!
oh, and btw, ps, thanks Susan (and antony, cleopatra, and ceasar thank you too!)

 

[the claw]

Its funny to hear people having trouble feeding their brittle or serpent stars. Mine are a nuisance. I have to feed them first, before I feed my corals or the little devils will come and steal their food before their mouths can close up on it. I watched my green brittle slip his little arm into the mouth of a closing trachaphyllia (sp?) to pull out a large krill that it had almost enveloped.

 

[plum70rt]

I find shrimp pellets work well, they sink and the stars come running

 

[tiffster]

I second the shrimp pellets!!! Kinda gross to see the big lump in the starfish after he eats it though.

 

[leigh]

i totally agree--shrimp pellets have been essential for me to keep mine fed! good one to point out plum (and tiffster)!
the claw--sounds like you've got some very healthy and happy stars (and some less happy corals )

 

[plum70rt]

they have to be pretty big to become fish predators, they will they come out at nite to scavage food

 

[beth]

Hoe big are your brittle/serpent stars? I must have hundreds in my tank. The are basically on their own for food. I do shoot my rock with food for the rock critters, but that is about it.

 

[leigh]

I'm talking about the type of brittles/serpents you purchase (6 inch armspan-ish)--not the lil hitch-hiker guys that are an inch in diameter.