reef safe serpent/brittle stars?

[BHenderson79]

when i first set my tank up, i put a large serpent star in as one of the first inhabitants. it looked like this:

after the tank was more established, i started adding coral. one day the star pulled a colt coral down off its base and killed it. didn't try to eat it or anything, it just seemed curious and probably killed it by accident. after that, i took the star back to the shop so it wouldnt cause more damage and i could continue with getting some corals without fearing i would be throwing money away.

i miss how cool the serpent star was, and if i could get another and not fear that it would cause damage, i would definitely do that. any suggestions?

 

[panmanmatt]

I've had serpents in my reef with no issues. I would advise you to stay away from the green brittle star, they are notorious for eating fish and anything they can grab onto.

 

[Dentoid]

Bill they are considered to be reef safe. I have 2 in my 90 gallon tank, both with a diameter of about 12". They have never killed anything in my tank. Are you sure it pulled the coral down, or did the coral fall over and the serpent was an innocent bystander?

I would not hesitate to recommend these stars in a reef tank!

 

[BHenderson79]

Bill they are considered to be reef safe. I have 2 in my 90 gallon tank, both with a diameter of about 12". They have never killed anything in my tank. Are you sure it pulled the coral down, or did the coral fall over and the serpent was an innocent bystander?

I would not hesitate to recommend these stars in a reef tank!

i feel like i remember watching it partly happen, but it was a while ago so maybe it wasn't quite like that. i definitely did see the star "playing" with it after it was knocked down, though. playing involved pulling bits off and discarding them.

 

[lcstorc]

That is very unusual. I have a very large orange serpent star and he has never bothered anything. It spends most of the day hidden in the rocks and only comes out at feeding time and at night. I love to target feed him. It is really cool to watch him pull the food into his mouth. I just have to keep my sailfin away till the star finishes because the sailfin is a pig.

 

[BHenderson79]

One more question - should i worry about any stars bothering fish that sleep in between the LR at night? I have a bunch of firefish that all lay in between pieces of rock when the lights go off, and I wouldn't want them being grabbed by a star in the night!

 

[BoomerD]

I've kept serpents and brittles for years with no problems with corals or fish. You DEFINITELY want to avoid the infamous green brittle star however:

O. Incrassata (and a couple of it's relatives) are excellent fishcatchers. I've never seen/heard of serpents or brittles trying to kill corals however. I have to wonder if the colt coral was dying or injured and the brittle was feeding on the dead/dying matter. They are scavengers, but IME, never bother the living.

 

[BHenderson79]

I've never seen/heard of serpents or brittles trying to kill corals however. I have to wonder if the colt coral was dying or injured and the brittle was feeding on the dead/dying matter. They are scavengers, but IME, never bother the living.

The colt was definitely in very good shape, I really think it was more of a matter of an accidental matter with the serpent star just being a little too big and curious. The star liked to climb around and explore and probably had at least an 8 inch arm span.

 

[framerguy]

I had a large serpent identicle to yours pictured that did kill an orange spot goby and ate the tail off my cardinal before it got away. He is now in the refugium. I have two red serpents that don't bother anyone and have also never noticed serpents bothering corals. Those things personally being observed, I believe that the colored serpents (red, yellow, orange) are less likely to bother fish.

 

[BHenderson79]

I had a large serpent identicle to yours pictured that did kill an orange spot goby and ate the tail off my cardinal before it got away. He is now in the refugium. I have two red serpents that don't bother anyone and have also never noticed serpents bothering corals. Those things personally being observed, I believe that the colored serpents (red, yellow, orange) are less likely to bother fish.

very interesting. i have no idea what species it is that i had, but i will keep that in mind.

 

[AQTCJAK]

I have had a few of the sepents & brittles that can rake havoc in a reef the Red Sepent & the black brittle very much so hunters eat fish & snails never had the issue with coral though

 

[Jason25]

My banded serpent likes to snack on snails, I caught him after lights out one night trying to turn the snail over to get to him.

 

[BHenderson79]

Are there any species that we can agree definitely do NOT attack anything?

 

[framerguy]

Are there any species that we can agree definitely do NOT attack anything?

not in the serpent group.

 

[nikkipigtails]

I've got a bubble tip brittle star that hasn't bothered any of my corals. I've had it for about 2 years but it does like to eat my snails and my hermits. It stays hidden in the rocks for the most part when the lights are on. It comes out at night to feed, but I've never watched it. But it is a pretty good detrivore if waste floats it's way.

 

[Pszemol]

I've got a bubble tip brittle star that hasn't bothered any of my corals. I've had it for about 2 years but it does like to eat my snails and my hermits. It stays hidden in the rocks for the most part when the lights are on. It comes out at night to feed, but I've never watched it. But it is a pretty good detrivore if waste floats it's way.

Are you suggesting this star hunts your healthy snails or just eats already dead snails?

What snails/hermits are you loosing? How long do you have your tank?

Thanks,
Pszemol.

 

[cracker]

I have two brittle stars. Not sure the name they are plain tan with brown bands. They were tiny when I 1st got them. They are 4 & 6 inches across now. I have fed only a couple of times. I do worry if they get enough to eat & if they are eating my snails.