Timfish Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Love these guys and have specimens in most of my tanks. Based on the growth rates I've seen for small specimens, <1' body diameter, and these were already large when I got them, 1 1/2"+ body diameter, I'm pretty comfortable thinking they are 20+ years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckyuv Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 The title of to your last thread was "oops I lied!" How can we trust you anymore!? And that is super awesome if they are only 2 years younger than me! Great job takin care of those tanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 The title of to your last thread was "oops I lied!" How can we trust you anymore!? . . . If you asked I'd have said you can't And they might be older, I have no idea how fast they grow in the wild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bige Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Those are cool. That little hawk fish wasn't scared either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Are they predatory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 I would say they are opportunistic not preditary. I think a lot of the reason they have gotten a bad rap is they don't hide so when they stumble across a sick fish they'll grab it and eat it and not drag it back under a rock like most other brittle/serpent stars. I've kept them for years with the same fish including mandarine gobies which aren't to fast themselves without problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 The title of to your last thread was "oops I lied!" How can we trust you anymore!? ! Well, the title of this one is 16+ years old, and the first post says 20+ years. Not technically a lie, I guess, but a little misleading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 You're right Planedon! I quess i could have given a little more info. I've had tehm in the same tank since '97 so I can confirm 16 years beyond that is speculation but they have a slow growth rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Those really creep me out. Never liked them. When I had a big reef, one of those came along with the setup. I couldn't wait to donate it to someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Those really creep me out. Never liked them. When I had a big reef, one of those came along with the setup. I couldn't wait to donate it to someone else. You just hurt my one feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 I had a black brittle star in one of my old tanks. He hid all day so I never got to see him. A short while after adding him my small fish started to disappear; starting with the firefish. I'm not sure if it was the star but I've heard they might if they are underfed. I may try another one later, but if you ever want to get rid of it then you have to remove the entire rock structure because they would rather lose legs than get removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 " . . .Those really creep me out. . ." That's that has been an issue with visceral phobias like snakes or spiders. I had to partially tear a tank apart to remove a coral banded shrimp when I found out the hard way the owner had a phobia of spiders. @ Bige, actually the Flame Hawk is about 4" total length and has been in the tank 4 or 5 years to give you an idea of how big they are. ". . . A short while after adding him my small fish started to disappear; starting with the firefish. . ." I'm not saying this didn't happen because it's a resonable observation. Even though echnoderms do not have a central nervous system like shrimp with a brain and nerves radiating out from it (no spinal cord though) they do have a "distributed" nervous system and there is eveidence of social structure with some species which indicates some kind of learning ability and intellagence. Just like just about everything else individuals will display different behaviours and it seems reasonable to me some could learn to hunt. I think though a siginificant part of the reason big brittle stars and especially Green or Yellow Brittle Stars from the genus Ophioarachna get a reputation is they are falsely accused of fish deaths and actually are doing what they are supposed to do in dealling with sick or deceased fish. One of the reasons I will not get Fire Gobies is the very poor long term survival in reef systems. Even in a group by themselves in a species tank they are very aggressive towards ech other with the dominate fish constantly harrassing the others and asserting it's position. I have had singles or pairs live quite a long time but I have never had a group stay intacked for more than a few months when indiviuals start to dissappear. If I have Fire Gobies in a tank with a Green Brittle Star evn if I fnd the brittle star munching down on one I'm not going to assume it caught and ate the goby because I've had plenty o experiences with Fire Gobies dieing off without having a Green Brittle Star in the tank. Across the board a lot of small fish die after several months because the of the social dynamics in our tanks. It is frustrating and we have a fundamental need to know why, to have some sense of control (I see the psychological tests that show we will see patterns where now patterens exist as proof). I feel too often brittle stars are blamed because they are easy scapegoats. (Oooops, didn't mean to get on a soap box! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 Tim, Have you ever seen your serpent starfish assume the posture of raised central body supported on arched legs as if a spider? I have and he caught a stupid clowfish that went into the trap. I intervened and untangled the many arms wrapped around the clown. I have no doubt, that when the clownfish stopped strtuggling, it would have been eaten. Sorry, no pictures. La bonne temps roulee, Patricfk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted June 22, 2013 Author Share Posted June 22, 2013 I see that posture quite frequently and it's certainly reasonable it is a hunting posture but it could also be a breeding posture and considering their gills are on either side of the base of the legs it might be a way to get better water flow across their gills. When I first started cleaning tanks I had a large one that assumed this position quite frequently and would completely ignore a mandarine goby leasurely picking at the sand underneath it. Since then I've had them cohabitate with the same small fish for years so while I do consider them opportunistic I do not consider them predatorary. What intrigues me, considering some starfish species have demonstrated a social hierarchy with display behaviour between dominate individules indicating a fair amount of intellegence, is the possibility some green brittle stars learn to hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 22, 2013 Share Posted June 22, 2013 I see that posture quite frequently and it's certainly reasonable it is a hunting posture but it could also be a breeding posture and considering their gills are on either side of the base of the legs it might be a way to get better water flow across their gills. When I first started cleaning tanks I had a large one that assumed this position quite frequently and would completely ignore a mandarine goby leasurely picking at the sand underneath it. Since then I've had them cohabitate with the same small fish for years so while I do consider them opportunistic I do not consider them predatorary. What intrigues me, considering some starfish species have demonstrated a social hierarchy with display behaviour between dominate individules indicating a fair amount of intellegence, is the possibility some green brittle stars learn to hunt. I agree with you, that within limits, species have the ability to evolve physically and socially, why not learn a new method to feed. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 Here's my yellow banded brittle sea star with KimP's dwarf golden eel that I'm pet sitting. I had them in separate partitions but he jumped over 3 days ago. Here's proof their killers...j/k they get along just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 there are so many strange things about that video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 Fascinating video Brian! I really do think large brittle stars stand up like that so they can get better flow across their gills which are at the base of their legs or so they can smell food items better not necessarily trap fish. What happens if the two are in that position and you drop a piece of raw shrimp or fish in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 If you drop raw shrimp under the star, he will drop down and eat it. I am sure that the eel will move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Actually he doesn't drop straight down when I put food in. He gets on his side and goes super crazy looking for it but the eel doesn't even move. I'll get a vid up shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 It's funny. I see your brittle star more often than I see mine. Maybe it's because you got it drunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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