Stars and Clowns and Anemones, Oh My.

Yea, sometimes they are called brittle stars, and some
times they are call serpent. They are like half way
between. They are a risk to a reef tank.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



KurtG wrote on 12/22/2006 5:18 PM:
Wayne Sallee wrote:
Yep, that's the creature.

Hm, I have a 12" version of this critter that came with the tank. I
knew it was a brittle star, but I couldn't nail down the exact type. I
feed it a chunk of shrimp now and then.

I also have two missing yellow tail damsils. Not that i care about
them, but I'm thinking this guy is the culprit as they liked to hide and
sleep in the crevices. Seems like I've been removing lots of animals
lately.

--Kurt

"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
nk.net...
Yea, sometimes they are called brittle stars, and some times they are
call serpent. They are like half way between. They are a risk to a reef
tank.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Umm, Wayne. That IS a green brittle star. It is Ophiarachna incrassata.
It is not a true starfish. Starfish are in the class Asteroidea. Brittle
stars are in the class Ophiuroidea. Yes, large ones are a risk to
dedicated reef tanks, and can gobble up one's favorite fish (or shrimp,
certain corals, and even large anemones). Those who do keep them in such
tanks would be advised to keep them well fed. They relish bits of shrimp.
They move around quite rapidly when they want to, and are one of the few
types of echinoderms that have multiple lenses for light gathering (some
say that they can actually see images, but I have no proof one way or the
other with this claim).

Having said that, my tank is not a full-blown reef tank. It contains
mostly live rock and sea sand, with a few hardy corals that came with the
rock, a colony of star polyps, one leather coral, a few extraneous small
anemones, and assorted cleaner crews, including snails, limpets, small
hermit crabs, and assorted small crustaceans and feather worms (I've also
seen some glass sponges browing in my refugium). I also have two breeding
maroon clownfish that get along with the brittle star just fine. I've had
the female since 1991. I've had the brittle star since 1994. Anything
that it can/will eat it has already done so. It has definitely been one of
the more interesting animals I've ever kept. And I've been surprised at
how hardy it is. They are being intensely studied because of their very
strong immune system and incredible ability to regenerate their body parts.
The lenses of their "eyes" are also being studied by the telecom industry
because these calcite lenses apparently have properties that make them a
good candidate for use with fiber optic systems (if they can figure out how
to mass synthesize them in high quality).

George