green brittle star..

KirstyL · #1 07-18-2002, 01:00 PM

Does anyone want to offer comments on this character? I adopted one about 6 months ago, it has doubled in size and I have noticed that my blue leg hermits have disappeared. coincidence? Can they outgrow a tank and munch on livestock? :confused:
Thanks in advance.

Dale D · #2 07-18-2002, 03:28 PM

Green brittle stars can be very predatory. They have been known to eat just about anything they can get there hands on.

I've had mine for about 8 years or so and it is now somewhere close to 3 feet arm tip to arm tip. It's one of the first things people notice in my tank. And it is one of my favorite animals in my reef, but, that will not be the case for everyone.

I think it will help if you keep it well fed, but, you can still expect to have the ocassional livestock loss.

KirstyL · #3 07-18-2002, 03:59 PM

Thanks Dale,
just as I suspected :rolleyes: my tank is too small to support him, I will find a good home for the cutie, and I agree, they are very fun to watch. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Dale D · #4 07-19-2002, 03:02 AM

They don't really take up alot of room in a tank, as they are mostly long skinny arms.

If you are looking for a good brittlestar. Look into the red "serpent" stars. I've had mine for about as long as my green one (8+ years) and it has never bothered anything in my tank.

The only downside to them is that they get about the same size as the green ones and cost about 5 times as much. :(

I paid $50-$60 for mine.

[ 18 July 2002, 23:43: Message edited by: Dale D ]