Serpent Star ID (pics)

[Rin]

I lost a brand new false perc last night and I think the star is to blame.

I have just recently begun to reintroduce fish back into my main tank. I had 2 clowns and a purple tang in separate q-tanks for the past 2 and 5 weeks, respectively. The clowns are recently reared and are about 1" to 1.5" long. I put them all in the main tank 2 days ago and everyone seemed to be doing well.

This morning, I couldn't find the smaller of the clowns. Not in the PHs, not in the sump, not under the rocks. I also noticed that my serpent star was a little more frisky than I'm used to seeing it. Additionally, where its central disk is usually flat, it's now bulging slightly.

Can anyone identify this particular star? Is it typically opportunistic or do I have a fish monger to deal with?





Thanks,

[gargoyle]

Do you feed your serpent star, I hand feed silversides to my two serpent/brittle stars and they don't bother my fish(range from 2 to 3 inches).

[Biomanjcs72]

A serpent star is only going to be able to "catch" a fish if the fish is already mostly dead, Serpent stars are scavengers, that will feed on dead fish, but mostly on detritus. If the star got your clown, it was already dead (or very close to dead) before the star got to it.

P.S. I'm sorry you lost the clown, and that's a very pretty star.

[fishguy_8]

i agree w/ bio......stars are mostly scavengers but.....there is always an exception to the rule.....and i hope you dont mind me saying that is an excellent looking star very nice picture rin!
Jon
p.s. where did you get that star at?

[Rin]

Thanks for the compliments. I showed the pics to Dr. Ron, hoping maybe he could ID it for me. The best he could do was that it was a red serpent star from the Indo-Pacific. Apparently, these guys are just too variable to be able to ID easily.

I've tried feeding him shrimp, but he's never been to interested. My detritus has really gone down since I introduced him, so I assumed he was just being picky.

It's also very likely that the clown was either dead or dying when the star caught up with him. The other clown, however, has not come down from the top of the water column since the disappearance. This suggests, to me, that he witnessed something heinous and wants no part of the reef.

I did take every rock out of the tank and inspected it for other possibilities, like mantis shrimp. Nothing. I'll just have to keep my eye out.

BTW, I got the star from my LFS. But the guy has no clue what he gets or from where. He just knows its a starfish that eats detritus.

*shrug*

[Coralline_Reef]

I think I have a serpent star baby in my tank. It must have been hiding in one of the rocks I got a frag on. It is tiny (the legs look like thick thread & it's still white) and stays hidden in one of my rock's holes. I found it a couple of days ago & started feeding it shrimp. How big do they get?

[zhenya]

I think I have a serpent star baby in my tank. It must have been hiding in one of the rocks I got a frag on. It is tiny (the legs look like thick thread & it's still white) and stays hidden in one of my rock's holes. I found it a couple of days ago & started feeding it shrimp. How big do they get?

Not all brittle stars get to grow large, some are really tiny and will stay that way all their life. They stick their rays out of the crevices,where they hide, and catch smallest of particulates from the water column and scavenge some as well.

[Ninong]

Actually most sea stars are ravenous omnivores that will eat anything they can catch. Some are harmless scavengers but they are in the minority. Linckia laevigata and L. multifora are harmless and reef-aquarium safe. The members of the Fromia genus are safe but they are difficult to maintain long term. They usually starve to death.

The Ophiuroid you have pictured is probably relatively harmless in reef aquaria. It is commonly available and it doesn't seem to have the same reputation as the Atlantic "green brittle star" (Ophiarachna incrassata). There are numerous reports of O. incrassata actively pursuing fish. One method it uses is to position itself inside the victim's usual sleeping place where it lifts its body up so that the fish can swim under it. Then it traps the unsuspecting fish. Another method that it uses with clownfish is to lie on its back on the sand bed with its arms up, mimicing an anemone. When the clownfish swims close enough, it is trapped. These reports come not only from fellow hobbyists but also from professional public aquaria personnel.

The rule of thumb is that most sea stars (with the exceptions noted above) will be a threat if they are big enough and hungry enough. Obviously there are some that are extremely unsafe for a reef tank but even the ones that are relatively safe are not absolutely safe.

P.S. -- I'm sure Susan can ID it for you.

[Coralline_Reef]

I feed the baby I found hiding/living inside the rock. I place a couple of shrimp at the entrance to the hole & it reaches out and takes them. It is the same shape/look as the one pictured above, but very tiny and white. Will it probably grow to be similar to this one?