strange thing in my tank?????

[Chase31]

okay so i cant take pictures of it cuz of the location, might try a little later, its very very small like maybe smaller then a fingernail and it has at least (edit:)three little tenticals that are as long as the fingernail but very skinny there black with maybe little white dots there moving around and looks like little spikes, maybe its trying to climb the wall?

so for the terrible description will try to get a better pic after i eat lunch

[Mr.nintendo]

Sounds like a brittle star

[Chase31]

from google images it looks like it except none have a black coloration like this is it friend or foe?

[fishoholic]

If it's a brittle star then they are harmless. Here are some pic.'s of mini brittle stars

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff352/Mattysreef/st.jpg

http://www.instarfarm.com/pics/IM005958mbrittlestar2.jpg

[Mr.nintendo]

They are beneficial, usually hitchhike in on frags/ rock

All mine are darker black with white striping on their arms

[Chase31]

yes its very very small i thought it would die in the huge ammonia spike... guess not

[banditpowdercoat]

Ya, I got 3 brittles, had 4 but gave one away. They just move about eatin detritus and whatever.

[Chase31]

there so small does it get bigger?
and will it live through the cycle?

[ScubaSteve]

Ya, the mini brittles will get a little bit bigger. I have some that are about 1" to 1.5" in diameter. They're harmless. At last count I had over 20 in my tank. They mostly just sit in the rocks with their arms sticking out or they hang out under the sand. They're harmless and are kind of funny to watch. Don't worry about them.

If your brittle star grows to epic proportions it's probably just one of the big brittles that people love in their tanks. It might eat a fish, but it's doubtful. And I'll wager a pitcher of beer that it won't even grow that big.

[Eyford01]

I would venture to guess I have over a hundred of these things in my 55g, always so friendly waving to me all the time especially around feeding time, good little cleaners

[TJSlayer]

My tank must be wierd but I would say I have at least 300 of the as well as the same amount of astria stars the little beight ones with varying amounst of arms.

I say 300 because they are everywhere probably more than that, crazy how they reproduce, but again they don't seem to harm anything.

TJ