Red brittle star

[Gdbyrd]

I picked this guy up about a week or two ago. He's about 8" from end to end..maybe. I'm not 100% sure but he's around that.

Anyhow. I've lost two chromis in the tank, and now a yellow watchman goby. I'm worried he's the culprit. Is there anything I can do besides trade him in? So far I haven't noticed him doing anything to help the tank..so I'm not sure if he's worth keeping. He hides in his little rock all day long so it's not like the tank is getting better because he's in it.

 

[dcantucson]

Yes! He's too big and only Green ones are somewhat safe.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Yes! He's too big and only Green ones are somewhat safe.

Oh no way. I had always read that the green ones are the ones you should totally avoid. So damn. I'm gonna pull him and see what my LFS is gonna credit me.


What's a good size to get?

 

[Bifferwine]

Dcan is wrong. The green ones are the dangerous ones. They are called "green death stars" for a reason.

 

[yote]

I know for a fact that the green brittles are fish predators.And I think that the red ones are too.
Get a black/grey brittle.But dont expect to see them do much when the lights are on.Their nocturnal.

 

[Gdbyrd]

I looked around in the tank tonight and I saw a hermit crab munching on my little yellow goby.

I have a feeling that if the star had attacked him then there wouldn't have been anything left.

So any clues on what went wrong? I drip acclimated him and he was swimming all through the tank as happy as I could tell.

In the past people have suggested it could be my clownfish, I have 2 saddlebrown clowns. But they have never done anything to the other fish I've added...0 signs of aggression.

This is 3 fish I've lost in the past month. All lasting fewer than a few days. 2 small chromis and now this little goby.

 

[dcantucson]

Okay sorry I must be wrong. :( Maybe large Brittle Stars are just bad news? I was told by the LFS that small Green Brittle Starfish were pretty safe. Then again in the beginning they told me Cucumbers were safe too. :grumble::grumble::grumble:

 

[yote]

I looked around in the tank tonight and I saw a hermit crab munching on my little yellow goby.

I have a feeling that if the star had attacked him then there wouldn't have been anything left.

So any clues on what went wrong? I drip acclimated him and he was swimming all through the tank as happy as I could tell.

In the past people have suggested it could be my clownfish, I have 2 saddlebrown clowns. But they have never done anything to the other fish I've added...0 signs of aggression.

This is 3 fish I've lost in the past month. All lasting fewer than a few days. 2 small chromis and now this little goby.

Thats one of those that you'll probably never know what happened.
We all go through spurts like that at one point or another.Hate to hear it though.

Okay sorry I must be wrong. :( Maybe large Brittle Stars are just bad news? I was told by the LFS that small Green Brittle Starfish were pretty safe. Then again in the beginning they told me Cucumbers were safe too. :grumble::grumble::grumble:

David,If I'm not mistaken,its just the red and green brittles that have a taste for fish.Usually the size of the star dont matter.

 

[dcantucson]

Yote I'm in trouble then. I have a very large green one in my Red Sea Max containing 2 small Firefish. :shock:

 

[AlwaysImproving]

DCAN, you have to get that green brittle star out of your tank asap. They will slowly devour your entire lockstock over time, believe me because I've seen one kill 3 of my friends fish in the past 2 months.

 

[Epos]

Yeah those green ones are bastards. There used to be a monster one in the rock sump at my LFS. We fed it a dying bangai cardinal once and it was the creepiest kill I've ever seen.