[dantj99]

Okay, help me someone please!!! Came home today, and the one of my pepperment shrimps was eating one of my cromes. Same thing yesterday, and the day before he was eating some snails. Do these things get aggressive when they get bigger? Let me know if anyone had this problem.

I also have two emerald crabs and a serpent star. Don't know if something is killing the fish and the shrimp get the left-overs. Let me know if you have any opinions on who is the gulty one.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[ofblong]

I would say your star is killing the fish and snails and then the pep shrimp finish them off. Usually the pep shrimp only eat stuff that are already dead or are basically there.

 

[E-quality]

What size are the emeralds and what color is the serpent? Big emeralds can be a potential problem and there are certain color serpents that can be aggressive (green especially).

 

[arrow1065]

My serpant star was sent to my sump for his taste for fish. After two dead fish and some research, I found that others had the same problem.

 

[jimsflies]

I second the serpent star theory.

I came home one day and noticed after feeding the tank the star didn't even twitch...then noticed he looked real fat. I already had my suspicions. After catching him, he expelled the remains of my pep into the container in which he was placed.

 

[reddhaus]

I would say your star is killing the fish and snails and then the pep shrimp finish them off. Usually the pep shrimp only eat stuff that are already dead or are basically there.

I would agree on this theory.

 

[dantj99]

Okay, so now that I know the killer, anyone want to buy or trade for a starfish Let me know, and beware, he eats fish

Dan

 

[DLBerlin]

Okay-now I feel like a complete idiot! Talk about a brain fart.
For about 2 years I've been blaming the death-disappearances of several perfectly healthy fish on a little eel and crabs. The eel and crabs have been in the tank for over 6 years now and the problems just started about 2 years ago. Every small fish we put in disappears within a short time-as many as 3 in 1 night. Some how it never occurred to me-even though I know they will do it, That it might be the 3 brittle stars in that tank. Yesterday I saw a full arm on one of them-usually only see stray ends coming out of the rocks-and 1 arm is 8"+ long! Now if I can just convince my husband to get rid of them!They are really cool black spikey ones.
Debbie

 

[John Brancheau]

Dan,

My harlequin is hungry..........

 

[Planecrazy]

Do harlequins eat serpent stars? I have been suspecting this, but wasn't sure.

-Aaron

 

[180wall]

Same here my star was good for about 2yrs but now he has the taste for fish and shrimp he must think he hit the Red Lobster all you can eat buffet.

 

[John Brancheau]

Aaron,

Not sure, but if I was a betting man, I'd take the shrimp in about 2 minutes......

The way he just appears when I put in a star in crazy, no b.s. just straight to work.......

 

[E-quality]

DIBerlin, those brittle stars shouldn't touch a healthy fish... Are you sure the fish weren't dead or wounded already? Serpent stars can be a problem but I've never heard of brittles, especially the black spikey ones, being a problem.

 

[DLBerlin]

Nope there was nothing wrong with the fish. Perfect one day then gone the next. Some we had for years and some were new.
Most recently it was my blenny which had been in the tank for at least 6-8 months and was great.There was a star hanging out near his hole. Then about a week later we put in 5 blue chromis.1 gone the first night, then 3 gone in 1 night about 4 days later.Found 1 of them floating aroud the next evening partially eaten. The fifth is still in there.

 

[camelot]

We bought a serpent about 2 months ago. About a month before that we bought 4 nice small cleaner shrimp. After reading this thread, I began to wonder. I talked to the wife when I got home and asked if she had seen all the cleaners lately. We began to look around and only can locate one. the serpent is huge, so I think we know what happened to the cleaners now. We have two peppermints, but they are adults and nice size, we located them last night. It's always nice to know what happened to things.

Terry

 

[Newts]

I've always heard the green serpant stars are fish predators. I've always had brittle stars, and the other serpant stars that are black and white striped, and never have had a problem. Most of these have been in my tanks for several years and I've never had fish missing.

 

[DLBerlin]

Hmm,
Maybe its not them

 

[dantj99]

I don't know, I had 6 chromis, just put them in, now I am down to 4. Found two half-eaten. Missing pajama cardanals, they always hung out in the corner the star usually is. Also, two flame cardinals disapererd right after I put them in. I don't have anything else that would eat them other than the star.

 

[E-quality]

dantj99, what color is the serpent?

DIBerlin, I saw one of my black spikey brittle stars eating a peppermint shrimp but I'm sure that it already died because I just moved everything around in the tank... I would look elsewhere. what kind of eel and crabs do you have?

 

[ofblong]

I had a brittle star that ate 5 green chromis, 1 clownfish, 1 lawnmower blenny, 1 green mandarin, and 1 springeri dottyback. along with that it ate all 3 of my cleaner shrimp.