Brittle Star Gone Bad? Missing clowns

[DeadlyMuffin]

I have a large black brittle star (I think it's Ophiocoma alexandri, but I'm not 100%). I've had it for years in larger tanks, but I've recently downsized to a 10 gallon nano.

I bought a single small clownfish for the tank, only to have it disappear after about a month. I figured it had jumped, although I couldn't find a body.

I bought a second clownfish a day or two ago, only to have it disappear too! Again I can't find a body, and I pulled all the rock out of the tank to look for it and couldn't find anything.

Is it possible that the brittle start is hunting the clownfish? It has never been a problem before, but there's much less to scavenge in the small tank than in the bigger ones.

Does anyone have any experience with a black or striped brittle star taking small fish?

[geemanaz]

i think your black brittle star did eat your fish due to the size of tank

most black and Striped Star should be fed small pieces of chopped meat, shrimp, mussel, or fish.

[DeadlyMuffin]

Feeding that much seems like a recipe for a nitrate/phosphate explosion in such a small tank. I'm still getting used to the nano.

Maybe if I kept him well fed he'd leave the fish alone....

[DeadlyMuffin]

edit: ooops. double post.

[BEASTIEPENDENT]

Is it possible that the brittle start is hunting the clownfish?
Yes, absolutely. I don't know with this species in particular but from Ophiomastix annulosa it is known that it's a predator which can even catch tiny fishes in a small tank.

http://www.meerwasser-lexikon.de/images/10698_5NxrBHpR6g.jpg
Although we are not sure whether the brittle star here ate the whole hermit crab or just an exuviae – but the hermit never was seen again…