Fancy Serpent Star? Reef Safe?

[Nemo22]

Picking this guy up tomorrow with little info. Anyone know if he is predatory or if he will be a suitable replacement to my large black brittle star? Looking them up online he resembles the "fancy" or "banded" serpent star.

 

[Kman]

It looks like a Ophiolepis superba. If it is it feeds on plankton, detritus, molluscs and worms. For people with molluscs and worms that they don't want to get eaten it could be a problem. Also if it eats plankton it will impact your pod population I would assume. They are typically reef safe but can be a threat to small fish. If you keep them well fed you can cut down on any issues. You should find out what the owner has kept them with and if they have had any issues with it. Serpent star are tricky because even some of the reef safe ones individuals cause nothing but issues and other are just plain predatory. So you need to make sure the exact species and history of them.

 

[Canadianeh]

I thought I read somewhere that it can prey fishes. I like that startfish too.

I am looking to get marble looking fromia starfish

 

[Nemo22]

Oh oh, this may not happen then. Looks like this guy gets a one way trip to my sisters reef.
The colors are so much nicer than my black brittle, it's too bad they are a risk.

 

[AdInfinitum]

Oh oh, this may not happen then. Looks like this guy gets a one way trip to my sisters reef.
The colors are so much nicer than my black brittle, it's too bad they are a risk.

It's less of a risk than your black brittle....small species of serpents are less likely to become predatory than any larger species. There is no biological distinction between brittle and serpents...that is just a hobbyists distinction base on how adorned the legs are. Of the hundreds of species that may come into the hobby most of the smaller ones are primarily detritus eaters that will inevitably consume some pods and micro fauna as well...the only larger prey that may be at risk are feather dusters.

That said there are lots of stories on the net of all sizes and types of brittle and serpents killing fish etc....but the net is just as full of accounts of regular bristleworms killing fish.....

In a captive environment there are no guarantees (see the many tangs that become coral eaters for example) but they are a pretty safe bet.

As mentioned in another thread recently the common green serpents are pure predators...get over 2 feet in diameter and are ambush hunters...stay away...

 

[Nemo22]

It's less of a risk than your black brittle....small species of serpents are less likely to become predatory than any larger species. There is no biological distinction between brittle and serpents...that is just a hobbyists distinction base on how adorned the legs are. Of the hundreds of species that may come into the hobby most of the smaller ones are primarily detritus eaters that will inevitably consume some pods and micro fauna as well...the only larger prey that may be at risk are feather dusters.

That said there are lots of stories on the net of all sizes and types of brittle and serpents killing fish etc....but the net is just as full of accounts of regular bristleworms killing fish.....

In a captive environment there are no guarantees (see the many tangs that become coral eaters for example) but they are a pretty safe bet.

As mentioned in another thread recently the common green serpents are pure predators...get over 2 feet in diameter and are ambush hunters...stay away...

Thanks a lot for that insight man. It's been hard finding any definitive answers on the differences and whether some species are more predatory than others, except for the green serpents which I have seen several warnings about.
I have been trying to lure the large black brittle out for weeks now so I can relocate him to a larger tank but little bastard is dead set against a move.

 

[AdInfinitum]

Not too surprisingly it is the large very large species that tend to be predatory...they have the capacity (size/strength) and a large appetite to go with large bodies. In a tank anything can turn predatory if it is being starved and people often underestimate how much food starfish and all those other "cleaners" need to survive peacefully.