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FAQs about Green Brittlestars, Ophiarachna incrassata Systems
Related Articles: Brittlestars,
Sea Stars, An
Introduction to the Echinoderms: The Sea Stars, Sea Urchins,
Sea Cucumbers and More... By James W.
Fatherree, M.Sc.
Related FAQs: Green Brittlestars 1,
Green Brittlestars 2, & FAQs on:
Green Brittlestars Identification,
Green Brittlestars Behavior, Green
Brittlestars Compatibility, Green
Brittlestars Selection, Green
Brittlestars Feeding, Green
Brittlestars Disease, Green
Brittlestars Reproduction, &
Brittlestars 1, Brittlestars 2,
Brittlestars 3, & Brittlestar ID,
Brittlestar Behavior,
Brittlestar Compatibility,
Brittlestar Selection,
Brittlestar Systems,
Brittlestar Feeding,
Brittlestar Disease,
Brittlestar Reproduction, & Seastar
Selection, Seastar Compatibility,
Seastar Systems, Seastar Feeding,
Seastar Reproduction, Seastar Disease, | 
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Green Brittle Star 9/30/05
Hi, recently I bought a green
brittle starfish last week on Tuesday. The pet store had a display
tank which they took down and put in separate tanks to be sold. The
brittle starfish I bought was from that display tank.
<The most
common cause of problems with these animals is shipping stress. If
this animal was already established in captivity, then it has to be
something else...>
My point is that now my starfish is like
eating it's legs or something of the sort. It's folding it's legs
under him and I don't know if he's just cutting them off or eating
them (maybe both -.- ). Is he doing this because he's stressed from
all the moving around or what?
<Most likely, yes. These animals
are very sensitive to changes in salinity and pH. It is most often
recommended to acclimate them to a new tank over several hours and
many folks actually use a "drip method" where a piece of airline
with a loose knot is used to drip tank water into the bag water at a
rate of one drop per second or so.>
One more thing, my dad also
moved the starfish from one side of the tank to the other because we
were afraid it was going after the damsels since he was in their
hiding place. Since we moved him, I feel he has been depressed or
something. They told us to feed him once a month. Is he just
hungry? I hope you can help,
I really don't want him to die.
<Usually, when these animals start losing arms, they are doomed. If
it does recover, I would suggest small weekly feedings. I would
also watch it carefully for signs of predatory behavior, as they are
quite capable of capturing fish. Best Regards. AdamC.> |
Green Brittle Star part 2 10/3/05
Hi again, Thx for
taking time out of your day to help me out. I have one more
question, that I didn't think about asking. =P Since this is
happening to my starfish, do I have to take him out of the
tank? Will he get the other fish sick since he is sick? <When
it becomes clear that it isn't going to survive (it doesn't look
good), I would remove it so that it does not foul the water, but
the condition is not contagious.>
I also attached two
pictures of what he looks like now. What is that white stuff
that seems to be oozing out of one of
his arms? Thanks
again for taking the time to answer my questions. <Glad to
help! The white stuff is simply dying tissue. Best
Regards. AdamC.> |
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