Mini brittlestar spawning event

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So I did a water change this evening and as I was cleaning up, I noticed a bunch of mini brittle stars waving their arms and climbing out of the rocks. I kind of panicked, thinking maybe I had raised the salinity and they were trying to escape (the same as when people use hypersalinity to get hitchhikers out of live rock). Tested the salinity and it was fine. Then I saw that the tank was cloudier than after the water change... strange... and then I saw they were spawning!
I hope this video loads. It was hard to get a good shot of all the stars, but I've got a crapload!

 

[Peace River]

That's cool! Do you know what triggered it? Another words, do you think that you could replicate it or is it something that just happened in your tank?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

That's cool! Do you know what triggered it? Another words, do you think that you could replicate it or is it something that just happened in your tank?

I have no idea! I have a smaller frag tank and I'm sure there are at least a few stars in it, but I didn't see anything when I looked...

 

[dstockwell]

Way cool

 

[Sean Clark]

iPhone... and to think I once considered...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

iPhone... and to think I once considered...

?

 

[Sean Clark]

?

I do believe that your starfish are trying to become starfishes.

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

So I did a water change this evening and as I was cleaning up, I noticed a bunch of mini brittle stars waving their arms and climbing out of the rocks. I kind of panicked, thinking maybe I had raised the salinity and they were trying to escape (the same as when people use hypersalinity to get hitchhikers out of live rock). Tested the salinity and it was fine. Then I saw that the tank was cloudier than after the water change... strange... and then I saw they were spawning!
I hope this video loads. It was hard to get a good shot of all the stars, but I've got a crapload!

That must have been a really good water change

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

That must have been a really good water change

I know, right?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

iPhone... and to think I once considered...

Not an iPhone

 

[Queen Anne's Corals]

That is super cool! I've never caught one doing it but I do know they reproduce like crazy, I've got tons of them and love seeing their little arms poke out from crevices. For some reason it amuses me greatly.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

That is super cool! I've never caught one doing it but I do know they reproduce like crazy, I've got tons of them and love seeing their little arms poke out from crevices. For some reason it amuses me greatly.

Me too! I sometimes even wave back

 

[Sean Clark]

That is super cool! I've never caught one doing it but I do know they reproduce like crazy, I've got tons of them and love seeing their little arms poke out from crevices. For some reason it amuses me greatly.

Thanks again for sponsoring r2r

 

[Queen Anne's Corals]

Me too! I sometimes even wave back

Haha, it's ok, I talk to the fish so much my daughter tries to now too.

 

[EricR]

I just posted this in my own thread, then saw this one so...

Micro brittle stars came out and started spawning after I pulled some rocks to scrub algae and paint some H2O2 on some dinoflagellates that were starting to smother some zoas.

Here's one for fun:


***not sure why it's all blurry at the beginning -- must be a YouTube thing

 

[Alexopora]

Wow, Im have never been able to witness my micro brittles spawning but I know they are definitely reproducing as I’m consistently seeing babies everywhere.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I just posted this in my own thread, then saw this one so...

Micro brittle stars came out and started spawning after I pulled some rocks to scrub algae and paint some H2O2 on some dinoflagellates that were starting to smother some zoas.

Here's one for fun:


***not sure why it's all blurry at the beginning -- must be a YouTube thing

Very strange! I wonder if it happened everywhere??

 

[EricR]

Very strange! I wonder if it happened everywhere??

I saw 4 different stars come out and do the same thing,,, and some bunched up together while it was happening.
I had pulled and scrubbed a bunch of rocks so assume the stress caused them to go into survival/reproduction mode or something.

 

[Rmckoy]

I have 3 between brittle starfish and serpents in my tank
It’s weird ….. one time I’ll retrieve hundreds of tiny babies from my filter cloth during water changes .
next time there are zero but tons of pods .

 

[TokenReefer]

This is so interesting. @Erin1971Texas and @EricR are your brittle stars out like that normally our did they just come out for this?