Brittle star fish...

[Magnus]

I know are night feeders. Do I need to add any food into the tank at night, or will it move around the tank and find stuff?

Also, are my nassaria snails, hermit crabs and clown fish safe with the brittle star?

 

[Innovator]

I would feed meat items once or twice weekly. There is always a possibility invertebrates and small fish will be predated upon, but perhaps the feedings will keep it at bay....good luck

 

[HoCkEyGmC]

brittle stars are oppertunistic so yea they are in danger if he gets hungry and wants a snack.

 

[Magnus]

What kind of meat items...like the fresh shrimp? What about tuna (in water) out of a can...also, do I drop the food near him and he'll just grab it?

 

[rafecci]

Brittle's are scavengers, they will find most of the left over food. They do come out and about at night to find what they need. I've never heard of tuna out of a can, but I havent been in SW long. Interesting to follow that one and see what the word is on that.

 

[Ziggy953]

I've had a brittle star in my tank for about a year and a half and have never directly tried to feed it. It gets food when I feed the fish. There are a few types of stars that need feedings but I don't believe the brittle is one of them. As was said they are scavengers and will feed on the leftovers. If you feed your fish regularly the brittle will have enough to keep him happy.

 

[roka64]

I agree with the rest. I have never directly fed my brittle. I don't know if tuna out of a can would be such a great idea. They probably put all kind of preservatives in it. You can get fresh seafood at your local grocery store.

 

[Magnus]

Great! Thanks everyone!

 

[Innovator]

Don't feed canned tuna as it is chalk full of preservatives and other things that you probably don't want in your tank. As for food, they can be fed shrimp, silversides, capelin, non fatty/greasy fish, squid, etc. You may be able to get by without feedings, but they are considered predators more than scavengers.

 

[Magnus]

I noticed on the package of uncooked raw shrimp (the frozen bag) that there was salt and phosphates. Will that be harmful to my tank?

 

[roka64]

Yeah frozen seafood has phosphates. Makes for possible algae issues.

 

[Magnus]

Ok, here's my next question then...if you buy fresh, usually it's been frozen once already. Can I freeze it a second time? Especially if I want to make my own mixture of food and freeze it in ziplock bags?

 

[roka64]

If you buy it fresh, there are or should not be any preservatives in it. When you freeze you should be good.

 

[rafecci]

I noticed on the package of uncooked raw shrimp (the frozen bag) that there was salt and phosphates. Will that be harmful to my tank?

are you refering to uncooked raw shrimp that you and I would buy and cook for ourselves? Lets talk on that! Can you feed that to your fish? raw? chopped? Minced? (money saving issues here...LOL)

 

[roka64]

Yep.

 

[Innovator]

Check the back labels for ingredients and any preservatives used along with asking the seafood manager if their fresh fish is preservative free. Almost all food, fresh or not, comes with residual phosphates so just choose the lower end of a high quality feed

 

[Magnus]

Ok, that sounds like a plan. I'm going to go today.

 

[Magnus]

Great news guys. Went to the local grocery store, where they have piles of fresh ocean and saltwater fare.

I bought some cuttlefish, a baby octopus, a squid,6 freshwater sardines, some freshwater bay scallops, and 6 regular large shrimp. I put that in the food processor and it made 4 small freezer bags of the mixture. This is about 2 X the cost effectiveness of buying frozen shrimp.

So I put some in and wow...everyone in the tank went nuts for it. The brittle star managed to snag a couple pieces that I put towards him, and it was cool watching him eat.

I've been checking the levels of ammonia daily. Yesterday the ammonia was at the rating above zero (I forget, and i don't have my chart handy). Today it's back down to zero, but the nitrites went up one chart level. Cool to see the ecosystem working. All my other levels are where they should be.

So far in my tank I have 8 nassarius snails, 2 cerith snails, 1 brittle star, 1 clown fish, 1 peppermint shrimp, and 5 blue legged hermit crabs.

To buy still: 1 skunk cleaner shrimp, and another 2-4 fish. Maybe a 6 lined wrasse, coral beauty and a royal gramma. Anyone have any suggestions for a blue coloured fish that isn't a damsel?

 

[merita]

Brittle star fish

Linckia Starfish are reef-safe and colorful, making them ideal additions to a reef or community saltwater environment.Their bodies are vibrantly colored and have smooth legs. These starfish thrive in pristine water conditions where they will graze on leftover foods. They can also be supplemented with meaty foods like shrimp, scallops and brine shrimp.
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merita


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