cmbspd
03/18/2010, 09:55 AM
I was very excited to add my first serpent star to my tank last week, which promptly hid under the rocks. Two days later I was shocked to see it hanging on my rock wall just after the lights went out - missing the top of its carapace. It looked like a neat dissection with all of the top central disk gone, exposing gonads and stomach - the legs looked fine. I was even more shocked to see it moving, and I assumed this was just reflexes until it died. But I found it again today (after 3 days), hiding under a rock. It moved fast when I lifted the rock so it acted healthy even though its guts are exposed to the world. I know that fragments of echinoderms can sometimes regenerate from their central disks.
Anyone have experience with this? Did your brittle star survive?
Second, who is the most likely culprit? I have two small ocellaris clowns (1.5"), a foxface (4"), a hippo tang (8"), and a falco's hawkfish (2.5"). I also have cleaner and peppermint shrimp and smaller fish that shouldn't be aggressive (goby, firefish, etc). I assume that the hawkfish is the most likely culprit but the legspan on the brittle star is 8" so it shouldn't have been easy. I'm also wondering why any fish would rip it open but not devour the stomach and gonads.
Anyone have experience with this? Did your brittle star survive?
Second, who is the most likely culprit? I have two small ocellaris clowns (1.5"), a foxface (4"), a hippo tang (8"), and a falco's hawkfish (2.5"). I also have cleaner and peppermint shrimp and smaller fish that shouldn't be aggressive (goby, firefish, etc). I assume that the hawkfish is the most likely culprit but the legspan on the brittle star is 8" so it shouldn't have been easy. I'm also wondering why any fish would rip it open but not devour the stomach and gonads.