My yellow brittle star eats everything (I think)

[michaelp]

I have a 120g tank. It's been active for about 2 years. In that time, I've lost

5 chromis
2 peppermint shrimp
1 fire shrimp
1 lawnmower blenny
1 tiny blenny (forget which kind)
1 scooter blenny
1 blue tuxedo urchin
1 anemone
assorted corals


What's still alive?

1 striped sailfin tang. Doing awesome!
2 clowns (they just laid eggs, but they're not going to survive)
1 chromis
1 scooter blenny
1 green plate coral
orange zoanthids (i have about 200 now.. they love it in there and are reproducing like crazy)
some awesome coral hitchikers that i don't know what they are but they are doing well
1 giant yellow brittle star
1 giant striped brittle star

I want to get rid of the brittle star because I suspect (but haven't confirmed) that they ate my chromis, scooter, shrimps and like everything else that is cool. (The corals, I realize are probably my fault, as well as the urchin and an anemone).

Of course it could be that I'm a horrible aquariumist and they just died and I don't see any evidence of that, but !!! Any thoughts? Could some of this havoc be those stupid brittle stars and if so, does anyeone want them??

-Michael

 

[EXPEDITION]

My friend has a 550g reef with some big brittle stars (3 of them),& ive seen them eating on a 5" Yellow Tang before.I dont keep britle stars for that reason.

 

[EmilyT]

jhale! :screama:

 

[Killerdrgn]

Sump time!

 

[JLAudio]

Same thing w/ my tank. Al of a sudden fish were disappearing and one day I caught him munching on a fish so donated to LFS. cool but dont play well w/ others

 

[Killerdrgn]

I need one for my sump!

 

[caad3]

Brittle star

Is it just yellow ones that are problem. I have a black one, and now I'm concerned I need to trap his @#$.

 

[Killerdrgn]

All large brittle stars could become a problem as they will try to grab and eat anything small enough, relative to their size, swimming by their tenticles.

 

[caad3]

Brittle stars

damn... Now I have to trap him. Any ideas how to draw him/her out of the rocks?

 

[Killerdrgn]

If nothing is missing then don't bother, or else you can put some silversides on the bottom of the tank, at night, near where you think it is and then wait around with a red flashlight and capture it when it gets out.

 

[jab161]

I have had well over a dozen fish disappear from my 155G over the past year. ive always suspected my brittle star but was never sure. I think its time to go hunting

 

[marki24]

you havent mentioned any specs of your fish tank besides the size nor any parameters. Maybe your water quality is bad. Anenomes dont have a life span. If given the right type of environment they can live for centries and centeries. I believe that something might be wrong with your tank. Do you have pictures of your tank? And keep in mind that chromis are very hardy fish and killing these guys really means that something is wrong with the water quality. Also, alage blennies are very hard to keep and should be kept in a well established fish tank. I have lost one in the past but that was when i just started out and didnt know much what i was doing and i still dont know what i am doing so dont listen to me :smash: