Help - Capture / Trap / Lure Out a Brittlestar

[BCinYa]

Does anyone have any bright ideas about how to capture / trap / lure out a brittlestar?

I have one who has lodged itself deep inside a big piece of live rock at the bottom of my reef (ideally I won’t have to take it all apart). I only EVER see it’s arms extending out of small holes in the rock. I have never seen it’s body.

It came in on/in some live rock and has been eating things it shouldn’t be eating. Expensive things!! It’s getting evicted (if I can catch it).

Thanks, Chris

 

[Anonymous]

try baiting it with a pvc pipe, some crushed coral or rocks, and a piece of shrimp.

then just take out the pipe and rinse out the rocks.

And saw holly ****!!!! look at all those worms. :lol:

.02

 

[Anonymous]

If the trap doesn't work, try another tactic. IME, if you can't beat him, join him so to speak. I've found that brittle stars are very easy to "train" to come out when fed. Use tongs or even a bamboo skewer with a morsel of shrimp on it to tempt him out of his hole for several days in sucession, feeding him approximately the same time every day-each time holding the food farther and farther away. Make it so he has to tug/work a bit to get it off the feeding stick.

Each day he will come out a bit more, until one time the bulk of his body will be out (usually wrapped around the feeding stick) and whammo! He is ready for relocation. Until that time, by feeding him it's hoped he will be less likely to, erm snack on the other critters in the tank.

Good Luck