Little Shop of Coral
Banded Brittle Starfish (Ophiolepis superba)
Banded Brittle Starfish (Ophiolepis superba)
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The Banded Brittle Starfish is a hardy, reef-safe scavenger with bold banding and long, agile arms. It spends most of its time tucked into rockwork, extending its arms to grab leftover food and organic debris, especially after lights dim. This species is a great addition to established reef tanks where you want extra cleanup support and interesting natural behaviour.
Why we love it
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Bold banded pattern and great night-time activity
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Helpful scavenger that cleans up leftover food
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Hardy in stable reef conditions
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Fun to watch as it feeds from the rockwork
Care and Compatibility
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Peaceful to Opportunistic
Reef Safe: Yes, with caution
Diet: Omnivore (scavenger)
Adult Size: Medium to large (arm span can reach 10 to 12")
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons recommended
Ideal Parameters
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Temperature: 24 to 26 C (75 to 79 F)
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Salinity: 1.024 to 1.026
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Stable salinity is especially important for echinoderms
Feeding
Banded brittle stars will scavenge, but they do best with occasional targeted feeding.
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Leftover fish food and frozen food scraps
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Small meaty foods like mysis, chopped seafood, and pellets
Feed after lights dim for best results, and make sure it is getting food in busy tanks.
Tank and Setup Notes
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Provide rockwork with caves and crevices for hiding
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Keep salinity stable and avoid rapid parameter swings
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Avoid exposure to air during transfer when possible
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Use intake guards on pumps and overflows to protect its arms
Compatibility Tips
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Generally safe with corals and most reef inverts
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Use caution with very small fish or tiny shrimp in smaller tanks, larger brittle stars can opportunistically grab weak or sleeping animals
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Avoid predators like triggers and larger puffers
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Not recommended with harlequin shrimp, which may prey on starfish
Acclimation and Health
Slow drip acclimation is strongly recommended. Brittle stars are sensitive to rapid changes in salinity and pH. Once settled, they are typically hardy in stable systems with consistent feeding.
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LIGHT
LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.
MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height.
HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.
FLOW
LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.
MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.
HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.
SKILL
ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.
While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.
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