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08-20-2005, 09:37 AM
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#1
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Savage, MN
Posts: 7,889
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Serpant star
Hi all. I have not added much to my tank in a very long time and am getting the itch. The LFS has a very nice green serpent star and I am thinking of getting. I know they are great scavengers and reef safe but I am still a bit hesitant. They are rock dwellers and I am worried about it toppling my LR. Anyone have experience with them? Also, I do have a sand-sifter star already, any problems there? Thanks.
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Some people are like slinkies...they serve no real purpose yet can still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs!:p
Have a great day! Brian
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08-20-2005, 10:09 AM
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#2
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AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 7,224
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I love my green serpent stars. Some people tell horror stories about them hunting down the smaller fish, so beware of that. I have never had any of them topple rocks and I had some huge ones.
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08-20-2005, 01:31 PM
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#3
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Savage, MN
Posts: 7,889
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Thanks, Hara. Next question...What is the main difference in behavior between the green serpent and the green brittle star? Which is a better choice?
__________________
Some people are like slinkies...they serve no real purpose yet can still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs!:p
Have a great day! Brian
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08-20-2005, 04:46 PM
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#4
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AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 7,224
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The brittle stars are my favorites actually, I mis-spoke in my reply to you. They are the more aggressive of the stars. (but they have this awesome look to their disk, almost like someone did tapestry work on them!)
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08-20-2005, 07:11 PM
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#5
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Waxahachie, TX
Posts: 436
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I have a brittle star that crawls within my LR and I haven't had any prooblems yet...
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Mike Jones
32 gallon hex, 34 lbs lr, Prizm protein skimmer, fluval 104, 1 maxi jet 750, 1 maxi jet 1200 ph, current 40w 50/50 pc, 1 NO powerglo 19watt, 1 daylight NO 65w (equiv), two damsels, 1 green brittlestar, 1 peppermint shrimp, turbo snails, red legged hermit crabs, kenyan tree coral, leather coral, pumping xenia, mushroom coral, green star polyps, orange button polyps
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08-20-2005, 07:17 PM
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#6
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
Posts: 3,294
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from what I have read and heard the brittle stars can be killers in the tank,small fish , shrimp are not safe if they choose to eat them.
I have a Tan serpent and he has been a great star. He has not hrut a thing that I know of and it has not moved any LR, (I dont think it could)
I feed him shrimp every other week. I also have a SS star and they do not bother each other.
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08-20-2005, 07:35 PM
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#7
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: philadelphia. PA.
Posts: 2,679
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Lando
...What is the main difference in behavior between the green serpent and the green brittle star? Which is a better choice?
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I would go w/ a " serpent" star. The "Serpent" and "Brittle" distinction only exist w/ in the hobby. Scientifically speaking they are the same. There is little to no difference in behavior(excluding the Green brittle-Ophiarachna Incrassata)
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Hara
The brittle stars are my favorites actually... (but they have this awesome look to their disk, almost like someone did tapestry work on them!)
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The mottled oral disk is what convinced me to buy a green brittle(O. Incrassata). My personal experience w/ it: ate a perfectly healthy shrimp goby within the first few days of adding it and eventually ate a cleaner shrimp albeit it was wounded by a P. pseudo first. Green brittles are more predatory than most other brittle/serpent stars for what ever reason, although they are all opportunist.
This link should be useful for you- http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestars.htm
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Mike
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08-20-2005, 08:14 PM
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#8
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Aquarium Advice Freak
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: chestermere canada eh
Posts: 429
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definatly get a serpent or a brittle but i would staw away from the green ones just because of all the horror stories and thier more agressive behaviour
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08-21-2005, 09:12 AM
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#9
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Savage, MN
Posts: 7,889
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Great info folks, thanks! The reason I ask about the difference is because the LFS has a huge green perpent star, but they also have a smaller yellow brittle star that I may instead. So are these stars more opportunistic scavengers or true predators?
__________________
Some people are like slinkies...they serve no real purpose yet can still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs!:p
Have a great day! Brian
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08-21-2005, 12:53 PM
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#10
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AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,833
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My serpent has been in my tank since the beginning and has reach a size of at least a foot wide now. To the best of my knowledge he has bothered no one.
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08-21-2005, 04:44 PM
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#11
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: philadelphia. PA.
Posts: 2,679
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Quote:
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So are these stars more opportunistic scavengers or true predators?
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Scavangers. It's only the green brittle(incrassata) that actively hunts IME. I target feed my serpent star occasionally just to be sure he's happy. They are a great addition to your clean up crew IMO. HTH
__________________
Mike
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