Unlike other commonly known starfish, the Brittle Starfish has long and thin arms that enable them to move quickly. The Brittle Starfish has five arms that are radiating from a central disk, underneath which, the mouth of the starfish is located. They are great scavengers and mainly feed on decaying matter and plankton. The Brittle Starfish can be found commonly in most of the world?s coral reefs. They are brittle, spiny and hard skinned animal. The Brittle Starfish are also known as serpent star due to its sleek morphology. They move along the sea bed, and if any arm is cut off it can be regenerated and form a new arm. The Brittle Starfish have separate sexes but a few species are also found as hermaphrodite.
Also, asexual reproduction is possible by disc cleavage. The Brittle Starfish generally like to stay on rocks and therefore live rocks are necessary in an aquarium to give a natural home like shelter to them. It is nocturnal and often hides under the rocks during the day. It feeds on small organisms during the night, and pushes their stomach out through their mouth, and digest the prey. They do not possess any brain and they have a ring of nerve cells that send the information around the whole body. The Brittle Starfish varies in color, and features tube feet. These tube feet are located along the arms that sense light and smell. The Brittle Starfish are negatively phototrophic, that is to say that they tend to move away from the light and are more active at night. It cannot tolerate copper medication.
The Brittle Starfish is a tremendous scavenger that makes a great addition to any tank. They come in colors of black, brown, and a combination of the two. Their flexible arms are lined with many spines that allows them to move very quickly. These starfish are nocturnal and like to spend the day hiding in rockwork. During the night they will come out of the rockwork to search for food. They are tremendous scavengers and will feed on waste in an aquarium. They also like to be fed the same foods you are feeding your fish. Brittle Stars prefer lots of rockwork to hide in. More than one can be kept in each aquarium and they do a superb job of controlling excess waste in your aquarium. They are a must for any reef tank.Echinoderms are central disc organisms that use tube feet or spines to move their bodies. The Ophiuroidea Class is made up of Starfish that have a flat and smooth central disc with five spined arms. These spines vary from species to species and can be short, long, thick, or thin, and come in different colors. Some "arms" will lack spines altogether. Each arm is composed of top-side plates that allow for excellent flexibility and quickness, but have a downside of easily breaking. These arms will regenerate over time. The mouths of these creatures is on the underside of the central disc.Starfish are intolerant of sudden changes in oxygen levels, salinity and pH of the water, and cannot tolerate copper-based medications. The drip acclimation method is highly recommended for all Sea Stars due to their intolerability to changes in water chemistry. It should never be exposed to air while handling.
