Brittle starfish?

[TIDE09]

Looking for an ID on this guy. Frags came from WWC with a few of them on. Reef safe? Yay or nay?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Yep - looks like a reef safe brittle star to me.

 

[jkcoral]

Definitely looks like a little Brittle or Serpent star. I love my brittle star. He’s a helpful little guy.

 

[kevgib67]

As already stated, yes and a good addition to your tank!

 

[Lavey29]

I agree with the above but how do you know if it's a micro brittle or one that will grow large eventually?

 

[WheatToast]

I agree with the above but how do you know if it's a micro brittle or one that will grow large eventually?

I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a report of these brittle stars “growing up,” but I guess it’s always a possibility.

 

[BlueDamselReef]

Looking for an ID on this guy. Frags came from WWC with a few of them on. Reef safe? Yay or nay?

Ha! Yes, my WWC Frags came with a bunch of them too! I dumped them during my Coral dip but they shouldn't be bad.

 

[Lavey29]

I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a report of these brittle stars “growing up,” but I guess it’s always a possibility.

I mean the big ones have to start somewhere right? I was just curious if there is a way of knowing the difference.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Definitely a reef safe micro brittle star! They seem to be a common hitchhiker on WWC coral. I had some too.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I mean the big ones have to start somewhere right? I was just curious if there is a way of knowing the difference.

Theoretically, yes, but practically, no.

You could either key out the species and find out that way (not necessarily an easy task, given that there are over 2,000 known species of Ophiuroids), or you could attempt to estimate the specimen's age (this is typically done by looking at the growth rings on the vertebral ossicles of the brittle star, which, unfortunately, typically requires both cutting out a section of the star's arm and the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope; this provides estimates, not exact ages, as the growth rings are thought to be seasonal, possibly somewhat dependent on nutrition, and to have age-related differences/changes in growth).

If anyone wants to try keying out the species, the following link should be able to help you narrow it down to the family level:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354253227_Interactive_identification_key_to_all_brittle_star_families_Echinodermata_Ophiuroidea_leads_to_revised_morphological_descriptions

 

[whybenormal]

Theoretically, yes, but practically, no.

You could either key out the species and find out that way (not necessarily an easy task, given that there are over 2,000 known species of Ophiuroids), or you could attempt to estimate the specimen's age (this is typically done by looking at the growth rings on the vertebral ossicles of the brittle star, which, unfortunately, typically requires both cutting out a section of the star's arm and the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope; this provides estimates, not exact ages, as the growth rings are thought to be seasonal, possibly somewhat dependent on nutrition, and to have age-related differences/changes in growth).

If anyone wants to try keying out the species, the following link should be able to help you narrow it down to the family level:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354253227_Interactive_identification_key_to_all_brittle_star_families_Echinodermata_Ophiuroidea_leads_to_revised_morphological_descriptions

I just got a cute little brittle star in some frags from a coral show. He's no bigger than an inch from tip of one tentacle to the tip of the other side, and has 6, 3 are short.
I hate to drop him in my 75 gallon, I'll never see him again.
I'm seriously online looking at micro reefs...
But, the link you posted to identify them is so interesting! Like I need one more time consuming rabbit trail....

 

[Cthulukelele]

I'd be more excited about the mini brittles than the coral! They're gorgeous and amazing to watch eat. Next time you feed toss a little piece of mysis nearby and watch the magic!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Looking for an ID on this guy. Frags came from WWC with a few of them on. Reef safe? Yay or nay?

Micro brittle and very safe - eats waste and uneaten foods

 

[whybenormal]

I'm so sad now. I accidentally squished my little baby brittle star - after I let my daughter name him (she's 23 and married, lives on her own, but was crazy excited about him)
As excited as I am about all of my new corals, I want to find another tiny baby brittle star. That isn't something I ever see for sale.
Anyone in North Carolina with an extra? I'm going to buy a little tank for this one.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I'm so sad now. I accidentally squished my little baby brittle star - after I let my daughter name him (she's 23 and married, lives on her own, but was crazy excited about him)
As excited as I am about all of my new corals, I want to find another tiny baby brittle star. That isn't something I ever see for sale.
Anyone in North Carolina with an extra? I'm going to buy a little tank for this one.

If you can’t find someone local with them, I know a lot of people have bought them from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms (IPSF). Apparently some people have been having trouble getting a hold of the company lately though.

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

www.ipsf.com

 

[whybenormal]

If you can’t find someone local with them, I know a lot of people have bought them from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms (IPSF). Apparently some people have been having trouble getting a hold of the company lately though.

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

www.ipsf.com

Thank you, I'm not familiar with them. I'm going to check out their website. :-D

 

[whybenormal]

If you can’t find someone local with them, I know a lot of people have bought them from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms (IPSF). Apparently some people have been having trouble getting a hold of the company lately though.

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

www.ipsf.com

So, follow-up question. I just looked at their site quickly and saw the "mini-stars" and that they don't get any larger than 1" big. The little brittle stars that we see as hitchhikers, that are tiny, and grey/black and somewhat rough looking, but not spikey. Are they baby versions of the big ones in my tank, or are they going to stay little? Or do I need to read the research paper and figure it out on a case by case basis?

 

[kevgib67]

So, follow-up question. I just looked at their site quickly and saw the "mini-stars" and that they don't get any larger than 1" big. The little brittle stars that we see as hitchhikers, that are tiny, and grey/black and somewhat rough looking, but not spikey. Are they baby versions of the big ones in my tank, or are they going to stay little? Or do I need to read the research paper and figure it out on a case by case basis?

Those are micro brittle starfish. Good cuc and reproduce in your tank.

 

[whybenormal]

Those are micro brittle starfish. Good cuc and reproduce in your tank.

The hitchhikers are micro? They aren't going to get any bigger?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

So, follow-up question. I just looked at their site quickly and saw the "mini-stars" and that they don't get any larger than 1" big. The little brittle stars that we see as hitchhikers, that are tiny, and grey/black and somewhat rough looking, but not spikey. Are they baby versions of the big ones in my tank, or are they going to stay little? Or do I need to read the research paper and figure it out on a case by case basis?

The ministars sold by IPSF are a species of “micro” brittle starfish, so they’ll stay small forever. If your hitchhikers have been in your tank for a few months and are still “micro-sized,” I’d guess they’ll stay small too (which would mean they’re micro brittle stars as well).

Depending on the species, it may be possible for them to be babies from your larger brittle stars (but it’s rather unlikely). Most likely, your little stars that don’t have the “spikes” on the arms are just a different micro brittle star species.

As a note for anyone interested here, some people use the presence or absence of the “spikes” - called spines, but spikes is close enough for me - to differentiate between “brittle stars” (with spines) and “serpent stars” (without spines). Most of these “serpent stars” are good CUC/reef-safe, but the large, green “brittle star” (sometimes called the “serpent star”), Ophiarachna incrassata, has been known to hunt and eat sleeping fish.