octopus killing brittle stars?

[chrisritson]

should i have any reason to belive that my octopus is responsible for the death of my britttle stars? they cam out of the rock work one day with big holes in them and shortly died. there might be some crabs left in the tank that the octopus has not eaten, explaining this if octopi don't normaly kill brittle stars. thanks

 

[davelin315]

An octopus will not attack a brittle star unless it attacks it first, or maybe if it is feeling ornery or confuses the brittle star with another octopus. However, given that octopi are intelligent thinking creatures, I doubt it would be stupid enough to get confused, or that it would get mad. The fact that your brittle stars have holes in them would suggest possibly a problem with the water quality? Maybe the stars are decaying from bacteria or parasites, or maybe the octopus inked and it's killing them off (if so, toss in some carbon quick or change some water, cause it can kill your octopus as well). I doubt a crab escaped the notice of you octopus, though, so I think there's something else going on in your tank.

 

[2poor2reef]

How old is your tank and what are your salinity, ammonia, ph and alk readings? Knowing those would confirm or eliminate that as a possibility. In terms of the octopus, I would be very surprised if an octopus would not eat a brittle star.

 

[Green Mariner]

AKOS, I have never had an octopus but, if you check my site there is a Cephlopod FAQ page that may offer some help!! www.greenmariner.8m.com

HTH