cleaner shrimp getting eaten by serpent star!!

I just added a cleaner shrimp about 20 minutes ago. He got acclimated, then Hung out in the back of the tank. When I went to check on him, I found him in the clutched of my smallest serpent star, about .5 inches in diameter. Then the serpent star let him go, and now the shrimp is not moving. I also had a bangaii cardinal disappear 3 days ago.

 

I think it was the brittle star actually

 

Is there a fish that will eat a brittle star! I've heard six lines do?

 

if a 1/2" brittle star had him, he wasn't in good shape! IMO, those bristle stars are much better for you tank than not, so i wouldn't worry about getting a fish to get rid of them! They seem to only be good cuc's!

 

Do I have to spot feed all of my stars? I'm really concerned for my fish! I keep hearing these stories about fish eating brittle stars.

 

are you talking about the little less than 1" or so bristles or the big guys?

 

Fish eating Serpent Stars, large green, red and banded. This usually happens at night when the fish is sleeping. The larger Serpents gets lucky once and learns IMO. While not common it does happen, but I would rule out everything else first.

Your typical brittle stars is harmless IME. Even a small Serpent star is probably not dangerous to fish. Any member of a cuc will go after a shrimp that is dying or dead.

 

He wasn't dying... He was fine, he was just standing there on the rock, then the serpent crawled up on him and I found him in his arms.

 

Any of them

 

So my new dartfish are okay?