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Do serpent stars kill anything?


sen5241b

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I've never witnessed a serpent star kill off anything living in over 20 years. I've read encounters of killing and eating fish along with other critters but I've never seen it happen with my own eyes (I have more than I can count in our 75g). 

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(edited)

If they are starving, they will kill fish IF they can catch them. Some species are more predatory than others. When it hunts for moving prey, it will arch up, sort of "standing" on the tips of it's arms; then it will wait for something to go under it, at which point it will drop down on the prey and grasp it's arms around it. Yummy supper time. Some will actually go under an overhang or in a cave, and maintain that position a great deal of the time, which is an easy way to catch fish who go in with a plan to escape danger or to lay low at night.

Edited by treesprite
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I was nervous when I saw mine doing this. But the goby kept searching out the serpent star for company. Almost like his substitute for a pistol shrimp. Serpent star has had many opportunities like this, but has never grabbed the goby. Tank is well fed, so I am not worried at this point.

 

Green serpent/brittle stars are known to go after and catch fish.

post-2633589-0-91864600-1500726205_thumb.jpeg

post-2633589-0-23066900-1500726319_thumb.jpeg

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I was nervous when I saw mine doing this. But the goby kept searching out the serpent star for company. Almost like his substitute for a pistol shrimp. Serpent star has had many opportunities like this, but has never grabbed the goby. Tank is well fed, so I am not worried at this point.

 

Green serpent/brittle stars are known to go after and catch fish.

 

holy buh-jeezus. If I saw that I would think the goby is being devoured.

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holy buh-jeezus. If I saw that I would think the goby is being devoured.

Yes, I was a little nervous when I saw him hovering over the goby in the first pic. I watched closely for a few days and the goby seemed hang out under the serpent star quite often. The second pic in the cave was a week later and they seemed quite cozy.

 

They've been together over four years now, so the serpent star has had plenty of opportunity to attack if wanted to. Those pics were from December and they are still best buds.

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That's really cool.

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