6 line and brittle star
 

My 6 six line disappeared today ( at lease I think it was today) :sad: Can't find it anywhere. I added a brittle star yesterday, could have he got him?? Has anyone ever had a brittle star nab a fish before?
He was fun to watch so I am on the hunt for a new one. Does anyone have one they want to get rid of?

Marty, is this a green brittle star? If so, yes, it likely ate your fish. And it will eat more of them.

Yes it is Brad. Darn LFS, I had been reading about them before I got it and as usual there was contridicting articles. I ask the LFS he said " no problem it will be fine" :mad: Guess I need to dig it out and take it back. Anyone want to buy a green brittle star, cheap :smile:

take it back and tell him you want a full refund plus the price of a six line. another case of buyer beware and not believing what some of these lfs guys tell you just so they can sell more livestock. :evil:

I have a green brittle star, maybe 12 inches across. (actually Jack is afraid to pick him up.)

Anyways I have had him for about 3 years and he has yet to eat a fish, or even a cleaner shrimp.

JME



Wendell

I guess it is possible that the brittle star didn't do it. Can't find a body though :confused: And I can't remeber the last time I saw the six line. Been so busy lately. It wasn't until I did a water change that I noticed it gone. Been doing a lot of tank moving this past month so it is possible that the stress got to it. Some one did ask around Christmas if I only had the 3 fish, didn't even cross my mind then.

I had a green brittle star in a FOWLR tank, one morning when I turned on the light I saw the brittle star move at an astounding speed, and grab and consume a Domino damsel. The brittle star had swallowed it in a matter of a minute or two. I about tossed it out in the lawn.

Doug

Marty, if you like stars like that, try getting a serpent star instead. I haven't seen mine attack anything that's not already dead. Brittle stars are known to catch and eat live fish. On the other hand, Serpent stars are suppose to be safe with fish.

Any way to lure a brittle star out? I got a small one as a hitch hiker. Only saw it once in my tank by accident.

Dekay, it seems to just be the green ones that are a problem, all others seem to be harmless (that being said there are exceptions to everything). Unless you know it's eating or harming something in your tank I'd leave it in. I used to have hundreds of the black/white ones in my refugium, they seemed harmless enough, I had a ton of amphipods and copepods as well so the little stars weren't hurting that population.

Doug