FOUND ? Brittle star ??? Need ID

[AttiTude]

I'am treating/caring for a friends liverock,i'm actually treating them for "aptasia" with AptasiaX.
I've came across 2-3 of thoses brittle star...wondering if they are good or bad:  hitchicker?
I've look on the web and only thing i came to it is a serpent brittle star or something like it.It is fairly big
say 3" leg to leg.It is also missing some legs parts(the one in the pic).

Just want to make sure they are reef safe.

Thanks in advance.

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[dan2x38]

Might be the tiger striped one: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+528+735&pcatid=735 I was just reading about these guys and this one is suppose to be peaceful and reef safe BUT there are a ton in the genus so care should be taken for sure. Someone with way more experience than me said if they have very hairy legs beware!

[AttiTude]

Thanks Dan...

Worst case scenario: new sump resident 

I have 1 in a big net,in the 5gal. pail with a powerhead in it so it should be fine for now.
I'll make sure before i release it back.

[nelson]

I have "hundreds" in my tanks...you're more likely to see them during feeding times and are generally harmless.  Some white or striped like your specimen.  I consider them part of the cleaning crew.

[SeahorseGuyetGal]

I have lots in my tank.  These are good stars and are primarily scavengers.  I actually seeded my main tank with some from my nano.  During feeding, you should see them strectch out and grab little bits of food.  Also, some crabs use them for snacks.

I really try to stay away from chemical nuking unless absolutely required.  Why not try some pepermint shrimp?  They are cheap and like to chow on aitpasa.  Afterwards, you can re-sell or depending on the LFS trade them back at a discounted rate if you don't want them any more.

Good luck.

[Bob P]

I've a few of these.
Largest one is two tone brown, about
6" long legs. Never been a problem.

[new2salt]

From everything I have read about Brittle Stars, Dan is correct. The Tiger Striped variety are considered REEF SAFE.
A few are not bad, if you have a population explosion of these little critters, it is from the same cause as a bristle worm population explosion.

OVER FEEDING

Same control measures for brittle stars as for bristle worms - STOP over feeding and they die off

[RoxyDog]

Just FYI, I try to say this every time someone asks if brittle/serpent stars are reef safe:  I had a largish red serpent in a 24gal tank who obviously wasn't fed enough as he decided one day to start eating all of my shrimp.  Once I figured out where my shrimp we going, out he went and I no longer had problems keeping shrimp.

[nelson]

From everything I have read about Brittle Stars, Dan is correct. The Tiger Striped variety are considered REEF SAFE.
A few are not bad, if you have a population explosion of these little critters, it is from the same cause as a bristle worm population explosion.

OVER FEEDING

Same control measures for brittle stars as for bristle worms - STOP over feeding and they die off

I agree...overfeeding can lead to many problems, a lesson I learned long ago.  Having said that, I feed every three days and my tiny star population is considerable.

[AttiTude]

From everything I have read about Brittle Stars, Dan is correct. The Tiger Striped variety are considered REEF SAFE.
A few are not bad, if you have a population explosion of these little critters, it is from the same cause as a bristle worm population explosion.

OVER FEEDING

Same control measures for brittle stars as for bristle worms - STOP over feeding and they die off

I really doubt it is a cause of overfeeding as there is ZERO bristle worm and there is only liverock in the buckets,no use feeding them i think...I'm aware that overfeeding will cause spike in worms.When i had my 25gal. i feed each 2-3 days depending,never had an issue.

I thank you all for the advice/help.I will be putting it back in the bucket where it came from.

[Benja]

Those small brittle stars are pretty common.
I know I have many... but they are incredibly hard to spot.
AptasiaX works well for killing large aptasias.
From my experience file fish is the way to go.  The only downside is that they mistake the tips of acros. as aptasia.  Perfect for a softy/lps tank.

[Vincenzo.]

brittle star. and they ARE Good!!

[bitterman]

They are good, I'd like one

Bruce