Brittle Star (green)

[netKING]

Hi,

I have had a 75 reef for a year now all seems well except i notice i am replacing snails and crabs a great deal and my peppermint shrimp never seem to last that long, i can never find them?

Today i witnessed the starfish eating one of my new snails?

I really like my starfish he looks great and adds a lot to the tank but i dont want to keep adding snails and crabs..

As silly as it sounds I feel bad for the snail that just got eaten

Any Advice?

 

[squeegykid]

Hi Netking,I have the same problem with my green brittle star, I started hand feeding it a while back and this seems to have helped the problem alot.Theres been some controversy over weather or not they are reef safe
but mine seems happy as long as its well feed.I'll feed it a piece of shrimp or 1/2 cube of brine or mysis shrimp 2-3 times a week.this along with what it gets with regular tank feeding seems to me like alot but everything gets cleaned up.And the snails and hermits are living longer.

 

[squeegykid]

Hi Netking,I have the same problem with my green brittle star, I started hand feeding it a while back and this seems to have helped the problem alot.Theres been some controversy over weather or not they are reef safe
but mine seems happy as long as its well feed.I'll feed it a piece of shrimp or 1/2 cube of brine or mysis shrimp 2-3 times a week.this along with what it gets with regular tank feeding seems to me like alot but everything gets cleaned up.And the snails and hermits are living longer.

 

[Anonymous]

>Theres been some controversy over weather or not they are reef safe

I dont think this has ever been a controversy, it's WELL published they are not reefsafe

 

[netKING]

Should I keep the Brittle?? If I dont, what are good reef safe alternatives??

Please Help

 

[Anonymous]

I dont think you should keep it. Your clean up crew will all be gone. Stay away from any green stars.

 

[netKING]

What are safe replacements for the mean green???

 

[Wrassman]

Green Brittle Stars and Serpent Stars are known predators. They will eat sleeping fish, snails, crabs, shrimp, other stars, etc. If you want a suitable replacement, get another color brittle or serpent star. All of them are good scavengers except the green. The green brittle/serpent is a predator.

HTH

 

[Keeping_it_real]

All brittle stars and serpent stars are REEF SAFE.

Reef Safe has nothing to do with shrimp, snails, and fish. Reef safe means ones compatibility with corals and nothing else. I truly wish people would stop giving out bad information, if you have any questions just check sprung's invertabrates book. It clearly states the Green Serpent Stars are reef safe and will eat small fish.

REEF SAFE YES
SMALL FISH SAFE NO
SNAIL SAFE NO
CRAB SAFE NO

 

[Anonymous]

I have fish, snails, shrimp in my reef

in my definition of a reef all of those are in a reef

so NO they are not reefsafe

In my opinion

 

[squeegykid]

>Theres been some controversy over weather or not they are reef safe

I dont think this has ever been a controversy, it's WELL published they are not reefsafe

See controversy

 

[Anonymous]

It's no controversy, they eat fish, they eat snails, they eat inverts, what more would you like to know

people keep getting wierder on here

go to the sump if you want to argue about semantics

 

[Anonymous]

Dude, its not that hard to understand. Reefsafe is a term that means the animals living in you minireef is safe. In this case, they eat crabs,snails and so forth which makes them not reefsafe.

A blue linkia(sp?) are known to be reefsafe. I love the way they look. I will definately have one.

 

[Keeping_it_real]

Wrong mr misinformed/uninformed

Reef Safe is whether or not an animal poses a threat towards corals. And a blue linkia is not a serpent star nor a brittle star. And why don't you do some research on a blue linkia before you make stupid statements like

"I love the way they look. I will definately have one.

Why don't you do some research on the blue linkia and tell me what you are going to feed yours. Come back with an answer and I will give you a thousand dollars.

It is people like you that are ruining the hobby.

 

[squeegykid]

Hey guys
I never said they were reef safe only that there was controversy.that means 2 or more opposing views.There have already been posts of opposing views,there for we have proof of controversy.After loosing inverts to my green brittle star I dont believe their reef safe either.But since it was already in my tank I did something to solve the problem.
netKing found himself in the same situation,and I told him what I did to deal whith the problem.I think thats what BB are for, to get different opinion and learn different ways,so you can choose whats best for you.
Didnt mean to get you guys in an uproar,just sharing an exerience.

 

[Keeping_it_real]

ATTENTION ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reef Safe has nothing to do with any threat posed to fish or inverts.

ATTENTION ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think about it PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is a Lion Fish REEF SAFE? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But he will eat anything he can fit in his mouth.

Is a Panther Grouper Reef Safe? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But he also will eat anything he can fit in his mouth.

By defininition Reef Safe means if there is a threat posed to corals.

Butterfly reef safe? NO
Pygmy Angel reef safe? NO
Chocolate Starfish reef safe? NO

But none of these organisims will touch a shrimp, snail, or fish.

And to my buddy iceman16238 why don't you get your tank running for more then a week before you tell me anything about this hobby. After all I think I might know a little more since I run a Fish Store.

How is the blue linkia research coming? I have $1,000.00 here for you for just answering the simple question.

 

[Anonymous]

7 posts

well on the way to a good start I would say

>After all I think I might know a little more since I run a Fish Store.

LMAO!!!

 

[danmhippo]

(yawn......)

Grow up people......

(Going back to my sunday beauty sleep........)

 

[Anonymous]

>Butterfly reef safe? NO

depends on the butterfly, copperband and sometimes racoons are known to be reefsafe, unless your name is aiptasia, your a featherduster.


Clearly my definition of reefsafe differs from yours and sprungs, you'll just have to get over that

 

[Anonymous]

Lovely, the topic was "your an idiot"

Hello MegaDeTH,

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Just because I have not postd on Reefs.org makes me a liar? And the butterfly fish you named are the worst in reefs and will pick on any soft coral/polyp you might have. There are some reef safe Butterflyfish and I do keep some, why not try to find some information on the Heniochus, after all I am sure you have neither heard of one or seen one. Great Community fish and will school in small numbers, if you want some I will sell them to you for $44.99 each plus shipping.

And Sprung wrote the BIBLE for this hobby so for you to disagree with him on this topic makes you an even bigger MORON

On Friday I pissed a 20 year old girl off because I would not sell her a Blue Tang to put in her 30 gallon tank with her yellow tang and pair of false percs. You are no better then her and I have no problem losing her business.


Talk to you later hillbilly megadeath