Friend or foe? Brittle star

[cliffclaven]

So when I picked up some cheato yesterday I got two snails and a tiny 1/4" brittle start. From someone's help on here I found out the snails are ok but now I'm not sure what to do with the brittle star. I know that small there nothing more then scavengers and will help cleaning a little, but problem is I'm pretty sure they can carry ich and the only small tank I have is a 10 gallon with a bunch of hermits and medium size snails, so if I put the brittle star in there I'm sure he'll be eaten. So is it worth the effort to figure something out or no?

Also if I have hermits in qt and I add snails does it restart the 10 weeks for the hermits?

 

[dsfirstsltwater]

So when I picked up some cheato yesterday I got two snails and a tiny 1/4" brittle start. From someone's help on here I found out the snails are ok but now I'm not sure what to do with the brittle star. I know that small there nothing more then scavengers and will help cleaning a little, but problem is I'm pretty sure they can carry ich and the only small tank I have is a 10 gallon with a bunch of hermits and medium size snails, so if I put the brittle star in there I'm sure he'll be eaten. So is it worth the effort to figure something out or no?

Also if I have hermits in qt and I add snails does it restart the 10 weeks for the hermits?

So I'm pretty new in saltwater but I have seen no ill effects of having them in the tank. I got them as hitchhikers and I've probably got about 3 or 4 in my 20g tank. They are pretty cool little guys. They come out when I'm feeding the corals and fish. They don't bother anyone in the tank and it's neat to see them hang their arms out looking for food. It's just my experience with them hope that helps some.
My tanks been running for a little more than 3 months so I'm buy far no expert. I'll look forward to some more experienced reefer's to chime in [emoji846]

 

[reef lover]

Mini brittles are great to have!

 

[Maritimer]

Ich tomonts don't seem to be able to attach to echinoderms, so you're good on that score.

With invertebrates, adding new ones to QT _doesn't_ re-start the clock. Once a tomont hatches in a fish-free tank, the parasites will find nothing to feed on and die - they won't reattach to another invert. Your hermits are ready to go 76 days after entering QT, and your snails are ready to go 76 days after _they_ entered QT.

~Bruce