What is this? Eeeek Brittle Star?

[warhorseart]

This scared the pee out of me! There are a bunch of hairy looking things reaching out of my rock. Touched me and I about knocked all my rocks over! Attaching a picture AND video. I have the eebie jeebies

http://youtu.be/rMpnmG4-5Ws

Stephanie

 

[kateater]

looks like the leg of a brittle starfish. I got 100s of them in my 215g.

 

[warhorseart]

Whew! Ok I can stop doing the bug dance! Starfish I can live with. Is it ok in my 8 ga nano? Does it have any benefit

 

[Mike J.]

They're great! (As Tony the Tiger says.)

 

[kateater]

eat debris that float to the bottom. Very beneficial

 

[MitchReef]

some varieties eat fish....

 

[warhorseart]

Thank you everyone. I was googling SW worms and spiders the other day and ive had the eebie jeebies since and then today when I was putting a new frag in that thing reached out and TOUCHED ME!!! <<shiver>> starfish I can live with! No fish in tank. Later a Gobie will be had

 

[uall8up]

This was posted earlier LionfishLair.com - Hitchhiker Guide to your Aquarium

 

[NanaReefer]

How cool is that!?


Sent from my iPhone 4s using Tapatalk

 

[warhorseart]

Looks like a brittle star. We sat and watched tonight after feeding some coral and counted 6 so were guessing its a brittle star in the rock. If I grow some balls I may move some rock around tomorrow and see if I can find the center.

 

[warhorseart]

Ok so sometimes I'm a girly girl. Right now I am. The starfish keeps hiding so I thought to myself "self, how can I get him to come out?" Self said "with food!" Self, you're brilliant!

Seriously though. My brain storm brought more EEEEEEK's from me. While trying to tempt the starfish to come out (and give my torch a goodie) I caused really yucky creepy crawlies to come out. Mainly a GIANT bristle worm!!! In my nano it is giant. I tried to get a picture but bumped the stand and it vanished back into its hole. HOW do you remove them? Do I pull out the rock and put in fresh water? Plug the hole I saw it come out of? I honestly don't think I could grab it even if it played dead. It just creeps me out beyond belief.
Btw while squirting some frozen brine shrimp in one of the mystery black polyps grabed one and is happily sucking it down!

 

[Mike J.]

I can tell you how to trap the GIANT bristleworm (I'm thinking 2"), but I'm not sure you'll be able to stick your hand down there and remove it. :fear:But, seriously cut the top of a plactic drink bottle and invert the top into the lid or put some bait in a pantyhose. Also, I'm thinking you have a bunch of micro brittle stars, not one. All these creatures are good for you tank; yes, even the bristleworm.

 

[warhorseart]

Bristle worm is good? On the remove or SCORE! List is said the starfish was a SCORE! Bristle worm remove! I can try the bottle but do I lay it in the tank? Float it! Not even sure it would fit. Do I tape the inverted top on and does it trap it like a wasp bottle?

 

[chad vossen]

I used to pay for those. Now I have to many and give them away, haha

 

[Mike J.]

Yes bristleworms are good unless you have a thousand of them; then you obviously would have other problems, like your tank is too dirty. In that link it says "watch them". Which means if they're over four inches they might not be the good kind. Cut the top off a water bottle, stick it in the bottom part, small end in. It should fit tight enough. Put a small piece of shrimp in it and sink it to the bottom. Or put a piece of shrimp in a small piece of panty hose and they will stick to it. I can remember posting before if you don't have any bristleworms ask a friend for some.

 

[warhorseart]

Mike,
So far I've only quickly seen the one. I will leave him be.

Thanks for the info guys. Everyday I learn something new!
Steph

 

[warhorseart]

Mike,
Turned off pumps yesterday and fed Artemia to my torch and Goni. Holy cow, 4 worms came out of different spots in my tank. Should I worry now? It's only an 8 gallon nano.

Steph in SoCal

 

[warhorseart]

These really give me the eebie jeebies!

 

[Mike J.]

Oh no, plague proportions. You don't have to keep them if you don't want them. I don't have any in my reef, but there's spaghetti worms and 20 other kinds of worms in there. Put some food in a tied up nylon. I really did have a tank with hundreds and a Coral Banded Shrimp got them all.

 

[Eienna]

Some bristleworms are harmless scavengers, but you'd do well to get them ID'd specifically. I hear some eat corals.