Brittle Star

[tbittner]

I'm now convinced that my brittle star has dug out quite a cave under a rock. I see him hanging out at the mouth after lights out. If this unusual for brittles?

I also have a serpant brittle and he just moves from crevice to crevice.

 

[AQTCJAK]

Not unusual @ all

 

[tbittner]

Ok, thanks Jack. I was worried that I had picked up a mantis in one of the rocks. I didn't think they would be able to co-exist in the same cave though, so I figure it was the brittle.

 

[BoomerD]

I had a black/gray brittle that I rarely saw...except for tentacles swaying in the current as they searched for food. One day, I happened to catch him out of the rocks...

and my how he had grown! When I put him in the tank, the legs were about 3-4" long...in that pic, the legs are about 12" long! I always target fed my brittle and serpents when I fed my anemones...the same bits of chopped calamari, silversides, or shrimp that the anemones were getting.
The brittle was shy about eating, often, I'd have to coax him into taking a bit of food off the skewer, where the serpent was an aggressive feeder and would try to wrestle the skewer from my hands...

 

[GeeWizzItsMe]

Wow!

 

[tbittner]

Yeah Boomer, they DO grow fast! I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep both of mine because they are starting to get pretty big. They seem to be satisfied with the food they get from the bottom though (pellets and flake). I see them reaching out from under rocks and wrapping their arms around a pellet and pulling it back under the rock. I feed medium sized pellets so they are pretty good size.

I really need to get a better camera!!!

 

[lcstorc]

My serpent does the same thing. I make sure to target feed him a couple of times a week. I don't want him to get hungry and take out an unsuspecting or sick fish.

 

[BoomerD]

My serpent does the same thing. I make sure to target feed him a couple of times a week. I don't want him to get hungry and take out an unsuspecting or sick fish.

My experience over the years was that only the green brittle is a fish-eater. The rest are satisfied with detritus and uneaten food, but would gladly take a bit of shrimp or fish if it was offered.
My gray serpent was the aggressive feeder, but never bothered any other animals in the tank...but at feeding time, he'd come "galloping" out from under the rocks to be fed.

 

[tbittner]

I was at my LFS one day and they were feeding the display tank. Out of no where, here comes this brittle heading for the substrate to get food. Everything got out of his way!



Mine haven't gotten that bold. I rarely see their legs sticking out from under the rock.