Have I got a newly born star or a worm?

[robert_s]

hi.
A few days ago I've noticed I have 2 very small stars attached to my tank. It was maybe about 6 milimeters. Its shape was EXACTLY the same as Fancy Banded Serpent Star but completely white. To me at first it looked as if it was a small worm rather than a star. Now I cant find it. I have almost no fish in aquarium so maybe its still alive. Do you think it was a star or a worm?

 

[Anonymous]

There are little brittle stars that come in as hitchikers on the live rock, and will reproduce in your aquarium. They mostly stay hidden, particularly if you have predatory fish. They may extend arms out of the rocks when you feed the tank, and you'll also sometimes see them sometime when you re-arrange rock, etc.

Part of the clean-up crew!

 

[Anonymous]

I have literally thousands of these things in my 125. At times the substrate looks hairy with all the little white arms sticking up. I know they're not harmful. I'm wondering if any of them will grow up to be 'normal' large brittle stars...? Anybody know? Some of the largest are about the size of a quarter now (with arms outspread. Body about the size of the head of a pin).

 

[Anonymous]

I think they are just a dinky species. They wouldn't be reproducing at an immture size, probably.