Sea star injury       5/12/16 Hello, <Hey there!> A friend of mine recently sent me pictures of this brittle star. She was stumped as am I as to what this could be. <Yikes... the insides of this Ophiarachna incrassata?> The protrusion is not moving apparently. Any ideas would be appreciated. <Likely soon to perish. I'd keep a vigilant eye on it; remove before it badly decomposes. Please have your friend peruse this file: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grbritstrdis.htm Bob Fenner>

banded serpent star concerns, hlth., env.    7/26/09
Hi! My name is Michelle and I have a 55gal. saltwater tank with a mated pair of black percula clowns, 4 yellow-tail damsels, 3 green Chromis, one blue urchin, some assorted hermits, a few mushrooms and buttons, and (one of the first additions to my tank besides the clowns) a banded serpent star. I've had my tank for a couple of years and everyone in the tank has been there for several months( or longer), except for a couple of the Chromis. Anyway, lately, we've noticed some strange things going on with our serpent star. Normally, it hides in the rocks and you can barely see it; but recently it has come up to the front of the tank and is in plain view. I also noticed that parts of its arms are missing and I've found a few of the pieces in the tank this morning. The ends of his arm are white, but nothing seems to be oozing out or anything. The starfish is still moving and I believe it's still eating( usually eats pellets or bits of mysis, brine, or daphnia that falls to the bottom of the tank). The disc looks fine and I was wondering if you could help me figure out what was going on.
<Mmm, something amiss with water quality almost certainly...>
No one is bothering the starfish, but about a month of two ago we did have a problem with pop-eye with the female clown. She was treated
<With what? Might be the Ophiuroid cause...>
and is better and everything has been stable since. We just added 2-3 Chromis because a couple of ours died while treating the clownfish( I was told it was die -off from treatment) and I didn't want to leave just one Chromis in the tank, since they're schooling fish. My water quality reads fine( the ph reads at 7.8, but that is still in acceptable range according to my test strip)
<Mmm, no... borderline toxic... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marphalk.htm
and the linked files above>
I use Quick Dip test strips by Jungle. My salinity was a bit high(1.26, but I usually keep it at between 1.25 and 1.26 for our mushrooms and corals). Do you have any advice?
<See WWM re Ophiuroids...>
Depending on your response, I was considering moving him to my sump for better observation and to some what quarantine him. Thanks for your advice and speedy response!
Thanks again,
Michelle
<The trouble here is very likely environmental. Bob Fenner>

Wounded green brittle starfish 7/18/03 I have a green brittle starfish that has opened on the top and it looks like a bunch of yellow seeds .It is still alive and doing well. what happened? <the creature has a wound caused by injury or septic infection. You may need to QT it... but do maintain superb water quality in the meantime and feed as best as you can to help it recover. Best regards, Anthony>

-Brittle star infection- Hi All!! I am wondering about the different types of diseases for green brittle starfish.  I have one that is having some major problems right now and don't know what is going on or how to treat it.  Two days ago, I noticed some brown fungus looking "stuff" on the body of the star.  I paid no attention as I figured it was algae that happened to settle onto it.  The next day however, there was a chunk of skin missing from the star. <Oooh, sounds like it's getting an infection> I could see the orangish red coloring of its insides and to top it off, today was worse.  It has since lost one arm which is wriggling about the aquarium and I can see down to the bone of the star. It still has the brownish colored stuff on it, but the chunk seems to be getting bigger.  I don't know if some tankmate has been beating on it or if it is some sort of disease.  Any type of help would be greatly appreciated.  Star is quarantined, but I don't know how to help it. <That's great that it's quarantined, but unfortunately, it's very rare that they survive infections such as you're experiencing. Attempting antibiotics would be risky at best, so the best you can do is keep the water quality in tip-top shape by removing any dead/half-dead parts of the star should they begin to fall off. -Kevin> Thanks again, Todd

Green brittle star loses all legs 29 Jun 2005 Hi my green brittle star just lost all of its legs over a period of 2 days.   <....> I have him and his legs in their own one gallon tank now. <?> All system parameters are were they should be.  do you have any idea what's happening.  in the tank i have one Koran Angel (left the starfish alone), one Clarkii Clown (left the star alone), one Scooter Blenny (very peaceful), one Lemonpeel Angel (didn't bother the starfish that i know of) No rock collapses either any idea thanks <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestardisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Green Brittle Star  11/10/05 I have a green brittle star and a black brittle star. We did a water change a few days ago. Everything stayed pretty consistent as far as pH saltwater etc. However a few days after the change my Green star disk started swelling it looks like he swallowed a rock and he's going to explode. Then a few days after my Green star did this my black star started as well. What is going on?  <... Mmm, maybe a reaction to the water change... but possibly from eating, reproductive products?> Does it have anything to do with the water change (I was thinking it might but wouldn't they have started showing this right after the change not days later)? <Not necessarily> Could it possibly be air bubbles? <Doubtful> I have a bubble tube under the gravel to emit little bubbles to float to the top is it possible they swallowed air bubbles and can't get rid of the air? They are still moving and everything but the green one just yesterday had a arm come off. Both the Green starfish and his severed arm are continuously moving. Let me know what I should do.  <... keep on keeping on...> I also just read on your website that the green brittle star can eat sleeping fish (can the black one also?)  <Mostly Ophiarachna amongst commonly kept Brittlestars...> Maybe that is what has been happening to my fish. I have a well established maroon clown who always hangs out in his anemone but when I try to add any new fish like tangs they are fine during the day and then mysteriously over night they are dead with just their skeleton floating around or with crabs and starfish eating the body in the morning. <Oops... time to get a flashlight out, check during the night...> I thought the starfish and crabs were eating them after they died. Is it possible that either the crab or the starfish actually caught the fish and killed them? <Oh yes> Please get back to me as soon as you can. This is beginning to quickly become an expensive project. Sherri Berg <Bob Fenner> 
Re: Green Brittle Star  11/10/05 Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. The Black star fish looks like his stomach came out and he was eating something last night. This morning I checked on him and he looks fine his big hump is gone. However my green one is not looking so good. He has lost another leg, still has his hump and is not coming out during feeding time. Sherri Berg <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestars.htm and the linked files above, particularly "Disease". Bob Fenner> 

Green Brittle Star 9/30/05 Hi, recently I bought a green brittle starfish last week on Tuesday.  The pet store had a display tank which they took down and put in separate tanks to be sold.  The brittle starfish I bought was from that display tank. <The most common cause of problems with these animals is shipping stress.  If this animal was already established in captivity, then it has to be something else...> My point is that now my starfish is like eating it's legs or something of the sort.  It's folding it's legs under him and I don't know if he's just cutting them off or eating them (maybe both -.- ).  Is he doing this because he's stressed from all the moving around or what? <Most likely, yes.  These animals are very sensitive to changes in salinity and pH.  It is most often recommended to acclimate them to a new tank over several hours and many folks actually use a "drip method" where a piece of airline with a loose knot is used to drip tank water into the bag water at a rate of one drop per second or so.> One more thing, my dad also moved the starfish from one side of the tank to the other because we were afraid it was going after the damsels since he was in their hiding place.  Since we moved him, I feel he has been depressed or something.  They told us to feed him once a month.  Is he just hungry?  I hope you can help, I really don't want him to die.  <Usually, when these animals start losing arms, they are doomed.  If it does recover, I would suggest small weekly feedings.  I would also watch it carefully for signs of predatory behavior, as they are quite capable of capturing fish.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Green Brittle Star Dying?    10/6/06 Hi, <Hello> I have a 45 gallon saltwater reef tank and have had a Green Brittle Star in there for about a year now.  He is rather large and today I noticed one of my small anemones affixed itself to the brittle star's body (on the top). <!> Well, when I came home, all I saw was a little bit of the anemone's tentacles protruding from the upper part of brittle star's body.... Obviously he penetrated it's skin and had moved INSIDE the brittle star. <Mmm, likely the two were/are caught in a predaceous act... to the detriment of the Serpentstar> Well, the brittle star has continued to develop more "holes" on its upper body and is "hiding" by the filter versus behind the live rock (where it has remained for the last X months). Any advice.... Is the anemone eating the brittle star from the inside out... or is it the other way around?? <A bit of both. Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestardisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. BobF> Thanks,
Craig Donnelly

Problem with my Green Serpent Starfish (The Headless Starfish) I have had my serpent starfish for well over a year and he has doubled in size and has been such a joy to us.  We had him in a 150 gallon tank full  of live rock and he would always get behind it and make other rocks fall...so about a month ago we started a small 55 gallon tank just to add him and a few   pieces of rock along with one male and one female clown.  We tested the  waters before adding the things to the new tank and made sure it was  established.  We put him in my sons room because he loves to watch  him.  He has been crawling all over the tank, and has been eating very well.  On Saturday night when I went to bed I fed the clowns and I also fed him.  When we woke up on Sunday Morning... his central disc had completely blown up... I could see everything inside his body  the  whole top is gone.  He was still moving all about the tank.  Today is  Monday night and all the brown stuff that was inside him is now a white color  but he is still very active and moving about the tank. I have noticed that his  all attached 5 limbs are still trying to catch food but he has nowhere to put  it.  Could you please tell me what I should do. <Nothing much "to do"... but hope that this animal will self-cure>   I immediately removed  the clowns from the tank and added them to the 150 gallon tank so he is all  alone.  I read that they do not have brains so they do not experience  pain......but I am experiencing enough pain for him.  My son WILL NOT  let me flush his as long as he is still moving around the tank. <I agree... leave this animal be> I just do  not see how he is going to recover.  Please send me any information that  will be helpful.  Thank you so much in your quick response. Brandi Vickers <Ophiuroids, Brittlestars have remarkable "powers of regeneration"... Am hopeful yours will recover. Do your best to "leave it alone" (not add "medicines"), keep water quality stable... Bob Fenner>
Re: Problem with my Green Serpent Starfish (The Headless Starfish)  9/16/05 I am sorry to report that I had to flush the starfish.  His  legs became detached from his body and he began to have a foul odor.  He  was still moving two of the legs that were attached to nothing.  I do plan  on getting another one, he was very interesting and I loved to watch it.   And he did last over a year before we lost him.  I am hoping I did not make  a bad decision to flush him now.  Do you really think he could have  "regenerated" himself? <Not at this/that point... I would have done the same> Thanks for all your help.   Brandi <Very important to "match" the water quality... even better to actually move a good deal of existing water to new systems with this species, other echinoderms. Bob Fenner>

Green brittle star...is it dead? 02/02/2008 I have a had green brittle star for about a week. The middle is the size of a quarter. LFS said it would be a good bottom cleaner. Parameters ok, temp 78. It ate a piece of shrimp from my hand last night. After it ate the shrimp it crawled on top on of a boat decoration and today when I went to check my parameters I bumped the boat and the star fell off in the same position that it was in on the boat. It is rather stiff. I placed it on my live rock as that is where it has preferred to hide. I am watching for movement but I am seeing none. It has never really moved much that I have seen but I do not think that it should be stiff like this should it? Any help would be great. Thanks. <<For all intents and purposes, I would class this as dead.. Yes, they are not a big mover in the aquarium, however, being knocked of a perch like that, I would certainly expect a reaction from it. Sorry confirm your thoughts.>> Jessica <<Thanks for the question. A Nixon>>

Green Brittle Star 'Sick Or Reproducing? -- 04/1/08 I have had a green brittle star for 9 months in a 120 gallon tank. It has been healthy & grown well! <<Mmm'¦ Ophiarachna incrassata? Can indeed get large 'and is known to ambush and eat fish>> Without any indication of being sick, in a matter of less than 24 hours, it rubbed itself against a rough piece of live rock & sawed itself into 4 pieces (all but one have a chunk of the body on it). <<You actually saw this? Strange'¦>> How can you tell if it did this because it is sick or reproducing? <<Don't know that you can 'though this seems extreme for reproductive behavior>> What are the chances any of the pieces will survive? <<Not uncommon for those pieces with bits of the oral disc attached to grow in to/become whole animals again 'in the wild. Not so much 'in captivity>> All four are moving about the tank with ease. <<About all you can do is keep an eye on them 'remove if they 'die' and begin to decompose>> Thanks for your advice. Kristie <<Happy to share. EricR>>