Little star friend or foe?

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jencheung

AC Members
Jan 22, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
Last night I was looking at the tank after lights out and I noticed three spiny looking legs coming from a hole in the rock. After watching for a bit I saw what appears to be a little brittle star climb out of the hole and into another hole. It's pretty tiny, legs only about a quarter of an inch long and the center only maybe a sixteenth of an inch or so. It's legs are striped dark brown and cream. I know that micro brittle stars are harmless and beneficial but I've also heard that the banded brittle stars can be a threat to small fish when they get big enough. I don't know what category this little fella falls under. Should I be worried?
 

jencheung

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Jan 22, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
I just caught a glimpse of it completely out of it's hole. Does it make a difference that it has six legs? It looks like two of them are a bit shorter than the other 4, but there are definitely six "joints" from the central disk. It's definitely a brittle star, I just don't know if it's the type to stay small or the type that will get bigger and eat my fishies! Are there any other ways of identifying which is which? Thanks!
 

Morgadeth

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Sep 19, 2007
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Ft Drum NY
I don't think the micro brittles get that big. I had one a long time ago, but if he gets too bold, he'll most likely get eaten. I think that is what happened to mine...
 

Amphiprion

Contain the Excitement...
Feb 14, 2007
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Mobile, Alabama
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Just keep an eye out. If it gets considerably larger, it is as simple as removing it and/or the rock it resides in.
 

Morgadeth

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Sep 19, 2007
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jayghmi

Senior Member Wannabe
Feb 3, 2007
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Western Michigan
I have a monster brittle star and a tiger serpent star and neither one has ever caused a problem. In fact my fire shrimp climb all over the serpent star.
 

jencheung

AC Members
Jan 22, 2007
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Cambridge, MA
So after having never seen one before, in the last couple of days I've spotted four of these little guys all in the same part of the tank. They're really cute but I just want to make sure they're going to stay safe. Each arm is probably about a quarter of an inch long or so, maybe even a little bit longer. The only two that I've seen completely out of the rock both have six arms. The others I've only seen their arms sticking out of holes. Is there any way to tell between micro stars that will stay small and baby brittle stars that'll get big? If it was just the one I'd keep an eye on it and not worry but now that there's a bunch of them, is there anything I can do to tell the difference? Thanks!
 
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