Description
Zebra Brittle Star (Ophiolepis superba)
Overview
The Ophiolepis superba, known as the Banded Serpent Star, is a highly popular, fascinating, and functional member of the echinoderm family. With its distinct, attractively patterned “banded” arms and central disc, it is widely regarded as one of the best “cleanup crew” members for marine aquaria.
- Temperament: Peaceful; strictly a scavenger.
- Size: The central disc grows to about 5–7 cm, but the long, slender arms can span up to 25–30 cm.
- Key Trait: Nocturnal in the wild, though they often become active during feeding time in the aquarium. They are master scavengers that help keep the sand bed and rockwork clean of detritus and leftover food.
- Hardiness: Very hardy once established.
Care Requirements
- Tank Size: Minimum 80-120 litres.
- Temperature: 22–27°C.
- Salinity: 1.023–1.025 SG.
- pH: 8.1–8.4.
- Environment: Requires a mature tank with plenty of live rock for hiding. They spend much of their time buried in the sand or tucked away in rock crevices, with only their arms visible.
- Acclimation (Crucial): Like all starfish and brittle stars, they are extremely sensitive to changes in salinity. Use a very slow drip-acclimation process (at least 60–90 minutes) before adding them to your tank.
Maintenance
- Water Quality: Maintain stable parameters. Like all echinoderms, they are sensitive to copper-based medications; never use copper in a tank containing these stars.
- Routine: Regular water changes. Ensure they are not exposed to air during transfers, as trapped air bubbles in their water vascular system can be fatal.
Diet
- Type: Scavenger/Detritivore.
- Staples: They are excellent at cleaning up leftover fish food and detritus.
- Supplementation: In a clean, well-maintained tank, you must supplement their diet. Drop a piece of shrimp, clam, or sinking pellet near their hiding spot once or twice a week to ensure they receive adequate nutrition.
- Feeding Habits: They use their sensitive arms to detect food in the water column and on the substrate.
Behavior and Compatibility
- Tankmates: Generally compatible with all peaceful, non-predatory fish.
- Avoid: Do not house with fish known to eat echinoderms, such as Harlequin shrimp, large triggers, or large puffers, which will attack and consume the star’s arms.
- Reef Safety: Completely reef-safe. They will not harm corals or sessile invertebrates.
- Social: Can be kept in groups if the tank size permits. They are not aggressive toward one another.
Reproduction
Sexual reproduction is very rare in home aquaria. They can regenerate lost arms, but they do not reproduce by “fission” (splitting) as easily as some other brittle star species.
Tips
- Acclimation: Do not rush the salinity adjustment; it is the most critical step for success.
- “Air” Warning: Never lift them out of the water. If you need to move one, guide it into a container under the water so it is never exposed to air.
- Personality: They are shy, but if you drop a small piece of food near them, watching them emerge to feed is one of the most rewarding behaviors in the marine hobby.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Either come in store to view available stock or request pictures to be sent to you.
Please Note: Due to variations within species resulting from age, region, sex, etc., the actual livestock may not look identical to the image. Approximate size range may also vary between individual specimens.
