Whats this in my live rock

[Richy35]

I've got a red light in my tank so I can see what's going on when my livestock thinks the lights are out. And then I found this weird thing poking out of one of rocks as you can see by the pic there's 3 things sticking out of it. I've never noticed it before. There's 1 sort off by itself by the flash from my camera and 2 closer together. Thanks.

 

[MacDracor]

Mini Brittle Star! I started with a few tiny ones (under an inch tip to tip) and now have tons of them, some of them almost two inches tip to tip!
Perfectly harmless little detritivores. You'll rarely see them completely out of the rock. They like waving their arms around with their bodies tucked away inside the rocks.

 

[Gti_Leo]

from the pic it apears to be more like a serpent star then a brittle, either way they are both good guys

 

[Richy35]

Thanks that's good to know because I wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

 

[MacDracor]

I didn't realize there was a real difference between serpent and brittle stars. I know they are both Ophioderma sp. Is it a size, diet, geographical difference?

 

[Richy35]

I didn't realize there was a real difference between serpent and brittle stars. I know they are both Ophioderma sp. Is it a size, diet, geographical difference?

I hope someone call tell the both of us, lol.

 

[MacDracor]

Recurring problem with common names in the aquarium hobby. Two species may have the same or similar common names. I couldn't find any information specifically describing the difference between brittle and serpent stars. What we need is a marine biologist!

 

[Richy35]

Lol I second that, I've tried to look myself after your last message & no luck. Thanks again.

 

[MacDracor]

Maybe Gti_Leo can help? What's the difference between the two common names?