Mini brittlestar spawning event

[EricR]

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

I almost never see them OUT -- just arms sticking out of rocks everywhere at feeding time,,, but I've seen this type of spawning thing a handful of times, usually when I'm moving rocks or pulling them out to scrub, like I mentioned.

 

[TokenReefer]

Very neat. I wondered how they proliferated in the tank; had no idea. Thanks for sharing

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

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

I see arms all the time, especially during feeding and after lights out, but rarely see the bodies...

 

[exnisstech]

Are these micro brittle stars or regular? I bought micro and they are supper small and I have never seen them since adding them to the tank, I have some of the regular larger ones which look like these. Just curious

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Are these micro brittle stars or regular? I bought micro and they are supper small and I have never seen them since adding them to the tank, I have some of the regular larger ones which look like these. Just curious

Micro.

 

[exnisstech]

The ones I bought must have been young. Hopefully they are still in the rocks some where lol

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The ones I bought must have been young. Hopefully they are still in the rocks some where lol

Get out your flashlight an hour after lights out... I bet you'll see their arms.

 

[exnisstech]

Get out your flashlight an hour after lights out... I bet you'll see their arms.

If they are long enough to reach through the hair algae

 

[Rmckoy]

Are these micro brittle stars or regular? I bought micro and they are supper small and I have never seen them since adding them to the tank, I have some of the regular larger ones which look like these. Just curious

Do the micro grow into regular brittle starfish ?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Do the micro grow into regular brittle starfish ?

Since they're spawning (i.e. sexually mature), I would assume not. I'd assume these are different species than the normal brittle stars (there are over 2,000 known brittle star species, so this wouldn't be surprising to me).

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Do the micro grow into regular brittle starfish ?

No.

 

[Fishboy James]

I wonder if the water change water was at a different temperature. Maybe a change in temperature could have caused a spawning event.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I wonder if the water change water was at a different temperature. Maybe a change in temperature could have caused a spawning event.

It's possible but would only have been by less than 1 degree

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It happened again! Didn't get very good video, but it was the same as last time. Tons of them came out of the rocks and spawned. Still no idea what triggered it...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@EricR did yours spawn again too??

 

[Court_Appointed_Hypeman]

@EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal

You mind filming your next waterchange? We need to study this.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal

You mind filming your next waterchange? We need to study this.

This time it wasn't related to a water change. Haven't messed with the tank at all this weekend (besides the normal fish feeding, etc)

 

[EricR]

@EricR did yours spawn again too??

I actually noticed a couple on top of rocks spewing stuff about a week ago but lights were going down so didn't bother trying for a video.
*I recently started doing frequent, small water changes with low alkalinity water to deal with a runaway alkalinity situation so that may (or may not) have triggered something

I assume they probably spawn more often than I observe and it must "take" sometimes because I definitely have more in my tank now than I did a couple of years ago.