brittle star

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.

clark4feathers

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 2, 2010
Messages
422
Location
california
bought a coral and it has a few brittle stars on it. will they get bigger and leave the coral? will they stay small and cling to the rock?
 
Hard to say if they will grow bigger, they can vary quite a lot depending what species it is, any pics or details on size, colour, etc.?

Brittle stars are generally mobile creatures and will move in search of food, shelter. etc. Without more info it's hard to be more specific.
 
There is about 4 on this coral. Their arms look grey striped. They reach put when I feed the tank. Too small to get a pic.
 
If they look like this they are mini stars:
img_1158056_0_6ca6428f0cb2971fc3223c19154cd61f.jpg

If they look like this they are not:
img_1158056_1_85604a297a1744c2baa3d63bbfeadf9f.jpg
 
Wikki said:
Brittle stars use their arms for locomotion. They do not, like sea stars, depend on tube feet, which are mere sensory tentacles without suction. Brittle stars move fairly rapidly by wriggling their arms which are highly flexible and enable the animals to make either snake-like or rowing movements. However, they tend to attach themselves to the seafloor or to sponges or cnidarians, such as coral. Their movement has some similarities with animals with bilateral symmetry.

This is from the Wikki article on brittle stars, locomotion section.
 
They rarely leave the LR or coral. They are good for the health of the tank.
 
They are good janitors and will help to keep the tank clean. I agree with the micro or mini stars.
 
Back
Top Bottom