Brittle stars?
- Thread starter drillsar
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
sdellin
Aquarium Advice Addict
They eat detritis, leftover food they find in the tank.
Also, a couple times a week, I put a little piece of table shrimp on a feeding stick and use a flashlight to see where the star is in the tank, then I offer the shrimp near where he is. He comes out and wraps his arms around the shrimp and takes it off the feeding stick. It's very cool to watch. I do this because I don't overfeed my fish anymore and I want to make sure he eats enough.
I store the table shrimp in the freezer and just cut off a peice with a pair of scissors when I want to feed it.
Also, a couple times a week, I put a little piece of table shrimp on a feeding stick and use a flashlight to see where the star is in the tank, then I offer the shrimp near where he is. He comes out and wraps his arms around the shrimp and takes it off the feeding stick. It's very cool to watch. I do this because I don't overfeed my fish anymore and I want to make sure he eats enough.
I store the table shrimp in the freezer and just cut off a peice with a pair of scissors when I want to feed it.
sdellin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Not stupid. I had to ask the same question.
Yes, it is cooked shrimp. It comes in the little tiny ones or in bigger sizes that I think they call tiger shrimp. I have used both, but the bigger ones I have to cut up more. I cut it up before I freeze it, then flatten out the baggie and lay it on the freezer shelf, that way it doesn't freeze into a big hard uncuttable rock of shrimp! I learned that lesson early on. Once it's frozen, it doesn't have to lay flat.
You can also use freeze-dried krill on a feeding stick. Do you have a feeding stick? The lfs may have long thin hard tubing, just get one of those and push a peice of a wooden skewer into the end. That way you can stick the shrimp on there. I used a wooden toothpick, but had to kind of flatten the tube around it because it's wider, but it works. I also bent one end of my tube and put a toothpic in that end so that I can have the angle necessary to reach the shrimp under the rocks a little if need be, otherwise my fish try to eat it off before Mr. I'm So Slow starfish gets around to it.
Yes, it is cooked shrimp. It comes in the little tiny ones or in bigger sizes that I think they call tiger shrimp. I have used both, but the bigger ones I have to cut up more. I cut it up before I freeze it, then flatten out the baggie and lay it on the freezer shelf, that way it doesn't freeze into a big hard uncuttable rock of shrimp! I learned that lesson early on. Once it's frozen, it doesn't have to lay flat.
You can also use freeze-dried krill on a feeding stick. Do you have a feeding stick? The lfs may have long thin hard tubing, just get one of those and push a peice of a wooden skewer into the end. That way you can stick the shrimp on there. I used a wooden toothpick, but had to kind of flatten the tube around it because it's wider, but it works. I also bent one end of my tube and put a toothpic in that end so that I can have the angle necessary to reach the shrimp under the rocks a little if need be, otherwise my fish try to eat it off before Mr. I'm So Slow starfish gets around to it.
sdellin
Aquarium Advice Addict
I actually have a serpent star, which doesn't have the spikes on the legs. Otherwise, they look pretty much the same. Mine squeezes in between rocks that I can't even see the cracks between. He flattens so much it scares me, almost like he's made of jelly.
Fluff
Aquarium Advice Addict
sdellin said:
I'm sure you mean cooking shrimp right? If now, I wouldn't suggest feeding them cooked food.
All are good suggestions. Brittlestars are great and you could probably go without feeding at all but I've always fed mine. They will take it from your hands. I've fed raw shrimp, mysid, silversides and krill. They aren't to particular. They'll even take a piece of algae sheet if you offer it to them.
Those brittlestars you see in the liverock, that's all you'll ever see of them. I have some I've had for years and they are still in the rock. :?
sdellin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Actually, I buy the little cocktail shrimp. They're white as opposed to opalescent. My lfs recommended it. Sometimes I chop it up and give it to all my fish. They seem to like it okay. Is that a bad idea? I've gotten bad ideas from lfs before.
Fluff
Aquarium Advice Addict
Unless you are cooking it yourself, and really it's not necessary, I wouldnt' buy cooked shrimp. Unless you know for sure no additives have been used in the cooking process. JMO
Best to feed raw foods to your system. Look at it this way... They don't get cooked food in the ocean, right?
I love my brittle stars. I keep some in both of my tank. They scavenge quite well and are no bother. I suppose you could feed them, but I wouldn't overdo that as then they wouldn't perform as well at the task you've put them in for. They do prefer the rock/glass over the sand, IME.
Enjoy!
I love my brittle stars. I keep some in both of my tank. They scavenge quite well and are no bother. I suppose you could feed them, but I wouldn't overdo that as then they wouldn't perform as well at the task you've put them in for. They do prefer the rock/glass over the sand, IME.
Enjoy!
sdellin
Aquarium Advice Addict
Point taken, thanks cindy and phyl for the advise.
I only feed mine a small portion once or twice a week, but it's fun to watch him eat. I'd say about three days out of the week, he comes out wiggling all over the place when I feed the tank and he smells the food. So if he's hungry, I feed him when I feed the anemone. I alternate with krill, but maybe I'll try some silversides.
Question: I have a couple of nassarius snails in there. LFS told me that if I don't feed them on occasion they can starve. Do y'all have them/feed them? If fed them a couple times with freeze-dried krill when they were sitting with their little feeler-thingys sticking up out of the sand. The lfs said to use silversides, but I thought that was way too much food.
I only feed mine a small portion once or twice a week, but it's fun to watch him eat. I'd say about three days out of the week, he comes out wiggling all over the place when I feed the tank and he smells the food. So if he's hungry, I feed him when I feed the anemone. I alternate with krill, but maybe I'll try some silversides.
Question: I have a couple of nassarius snails in there. LFS told me that if I don't feed them on occasion they can starve. Do y'all have them/feed them? If fed them a couple times with freeze-dried krill when they were sitting with their little feeler-thingys sticking up out of the sand. The lfs said to use silversides, but I thought that was way too much food.
Fluff
Aquarium Advice Addict
My nassarius cause a sand bed eruption every time I feed the tank. I've never had to target feed them and they do fine. Of course they will attack anything you put in the tank, doesn't necessarily mean they need it.
sdellin
Aquarium Advice Addict
lol! Little piggys!
Similar threads
