Brittle Star - Green

The Green Brittle star is known to occasionally catch and consume fishes and crustaceans, and is also known as the Green Death star. It is an attractive pine green with lighter olive to sage colored spines and stripes. Its arms are covered in course bristles. It gets its name from the fact that, if threatened, its arms may fall off or break into pieces. It spends most of its time hiding inside the rock with its arms sticking out, waiting for some fish food to drift by. It is an efficient scavenger and can clean the rocks of leftover food and detritus. Because it eagerly consumes fish food it is one of the easiest starfish to keep. It makes an impressive display animal and a great pet in a dedicated aquarium.

Echinoderms such as starfish are extremely sensitive to changes in the water quality. They require well established aquariums of at least 6 months to ensure water stability. It grows up to 20 inches and needs an aquarium at least 50 gallons.