First casualty?

[wickjr]

I have been on vacation for the past two weeks. It's the first time I've had to leave the tank unattended since I set it up, but life doesn't stop, right. I installed an auto top off system and an auto fish feeder a few days before leaving to make sure both worked and the fish adapted well to the freeze dried food, which they did. Everything was happy and healthy before I left. Since returning a couple days ago, I've not seen my Yellow Watchman Goby. I am holding out hope that he is hiding in the rocks somewhere, but he doesn't come out to eat if he is. I fear my stupidity may have caused his demise. I have a brittle star in the tank for a few weeks, on the advice of a LFS employee who said they do not eat fish or anything if they have other food availabe. I have since read otherwise, and have tried without success to get the star out from beneath the rockwork without removing the rocks. I never noticed the star showing any signs of eating the goby or any of my snails or crabs. But, the goby is nowhere to be seen. My only question is whether he died and then was eaten, or worse. Either way, I am going to get the brittle star out whatever it takes now. I am in the process of getting my sump set up, and he will have a home in there till I can get rid of him.
Good news is, though, that everything else in the tank is in great shape. The coralline algae has even spread more since I left. But I hate to lose anything, especially knowing it could be my fault.

[prow]

what kind of a brittle star was it? if a green one then chances are he did indeed eat it. if you still want someting like it try a banded tiger serpant. they will not hunt your fish.

[fidojoe]

I have a brittle star in my tank, and it has never touched anything live. Its a little bigger than a dinnerplate, and lives no more than 12" away from my yellow watchman's cave. My watchman has gone missing occasionally, but it shows up about 4 days later happy as a pig in mud.

BTW, mine's a rusty red color with a white diamond like pattern.
Here's 2 pics of his arms...

[Dragon Wrasse]

Green Brittle stars will hunt fish and hermits, I have a green brittle star and he will eat a large silverside or krill with no problem and it only takes a few seconds with no trace of the food left in the tank. Other colored stars may hunt if they get hungry but the green ones or known for it.

[wickjr]

My brittle star is a green one. I should have known better than to put it in the tank to begin with. Then to add a bottom dwelling fish before getting him out, STUPID! I hope my watchman goby has just disappeared for a few days, too, but I grow less optimistic all the time. I do plan on replacing the brittle star with another type of star to eat detritus, but I haven't really decided which kind yet. I kinda like the blue linkia, but I've heard they can be difficult. Whatever it is, it will not be anything that poses even a remote danger to my other inhabitants.