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FAQs about Sea Star Disease/Pests/Injuries/Health 4
Related Articles: Sea Stars,
Brittle Stars,
Asterina Stars,
An Introduction to the Echinoderms: The Sea Stars, Sea
Urchins, Sea Cucumbers and More... By
James W. Fatherree, M.Sc.
Related FAQs: Seastar Disease 1,
Seastar Disease 2, Seastar Disease 3,
Star Disease 5, & CC Star
Disease/Health,
Linckia Disease,
Sandsifting Star Disease, &
Sea Stars, Sea Stars 2,
Sea Stars 3, Sea Stars 4,
Sea Stars 5, Brittle Stars,
Seastar Selection, Seastar
Compatibility, Seastar Systems,
Seastar Behavior, Seastar
Feeding, Seastar Reproduction,
Seastar Disease, Asterina
Stars, Chocolate
Chip Stars, Crown of Thorns Stars,
Fromia Stars, Linckia Stars,
Linckia Stars 2, Sand-Sifting Stars, | 
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Starfish with hole in leg 12/5/07
Hello Crew,
I have a
very small Fromia starfish that had a hole in it's leg a while ago.
That was my fault because when I moved house I let the temperature
jump from 25 degrees C to 28 and the spg rose from 1.023 - 1.025,
but the hole healed nicely. A week after that it got another hole
(pictured) where a lump use to be. After a while all the skin was
stripped away and it's been healing for a while but as you can see
in the second photo it still hasn't regenerated completely and now
three of the legs have extra bits of skin sticking out and today I
found a hole where the leg joins the body. The water parameters have
been fixed and stable for a while and it started moving again about
3 weeks ago when the first pictured hole was starting to heal. It's
a very small starfish. The body is about 1cm in diameter and the
only companion is a juvenile blue stripe clownfish around 1.5cm long
in a small 15 gallon aquarium. Spg 1.023
<Should be higher...
1.025-1.026... and steady>
, pH 8.3, ammonia and nitrite 0. I
will soon be upgrading to a much larger tank and currently have a
quarantine tank set up. If you have any idea what's wrong with it
and if I should treat it with something I would really appreciate
any help. Unfortunately my time on the internet is running out so I
can't research it as much as I'd like to.
Thank you
Katie
<This window/opening may be from an internal parasite erupting to
the outside, or perhaps consequent to a mechanical injury. There is
nothing specific to "do" in terms of treatment, other than provide
consistent, optimized environmental conditions and nutrition... and
hope. Bob Fenner> |
|
Re: starfish dying/ disintegrating?
12/5/07
Hello. Sorry to bother you again
<Not a bother>
but
my starfish has gotten much worse since yesterday morning as you'll see
in the photo.
<I do see this>
Just a couple of questions. Should I
remove the damaged legs, which is two and a half, and treat it with an
anti-parasitic medication or is it too far gone?
<Likely this latter>
I've been told when they're dying they pollute the tank so it's best to
put them in a bag and into the freezer. It's more of a humane way to
kill it, instead of letting it disintegrate. Is what happening to it now
disintegration because the body isn't damaged only the legs?
<Cannot
say>
If it's not painful to remove the damaged legs I'd like to give
it a shot since they can rejuvenate.
<Will not effect this change,
unfortunately>
I'm having trouble just watching it instead of doing
something.
Thank you for your help. Attached is a photo of what it
looked like yesterday and today.
Katie
<There is naught else to do
my friend. You can/could euthanize this specimen in the manner you
state... If your system is large/enough, filtration adequate, actual
little pollution will be generated by its demise here. Bob Fenner>
Katie Paulsen | 
|
Is my star fish okay? -11/18/07
Hi everyone! I am new to owning
an aquarium and had a 14 gallon for about a month and a couple of weeks.
Today I just bought my first star fish and acclimated it for about 2
hours. At the place I got him from, he was called a little pink Fromia.
He has an orange body with pink spots all over and is maybe about 2
inches in diameter. I got my water tested and it was perfect. After I
put the him in the water he has just been sitting there and his tube
feet are not out, but his stomach is (I think its his stomach
anyway...). He is sitting there like a rock. Is he okay?
<Hmmm...
tough to say for sure. It could just be acclimating. If it's not moving
by tomorrow morning (Sunday), you could gently turn it over to see if it
tries to move at all. If it doesn't move, I'd be concerned. If it
squirms at all, turn it back over and just wait for it to get used to
your tank. Please see here too:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fromiastarfaqs.htm>
Thanks, Heather
<Best,
Sara M.>
Re: Is my star fish okay?-11/18/07
Thanks so much Sara. You all
are VERY helpful. I think he may be dead. He looks like this but his
body is orange with pink spots. Do you know what his scientific name is?
Again, THANK YOU!! -Heather
<I'm sorry, but we would need a picture
to help you ID it if you're unsure of what it is. If you have a camera,
please send us a photo. -Sara M.> |
Help... Star(fish) Trekkin' Across the Universe...its Worse Than That
He's Dead Jim 7/29/07
<Hi Joe, Mich here.>
My red
starfish I got yesterday hasn't moved
<Mmm, not good.>
so I put a
bag on my hand and lifted him up in the water never taking him out.
<Good.>
He is still bright red but has a brown substance coming from
his mouth.
<Mmm, not good.>
I put him on his back and nothing I
think he's dead
<Me too.>
but don't want to take him out and flush
if he isn't
<No, that wouldn't be good either.>
any help would be
great thanks.
<Seastars will usually upright themselves relatively
quickly when placed on their back, if there is no movement he is likely
dead I'm afraid.>
PS I acclimated him for 2 hours by adding a cup of
my water to the stores water every 5 to 10 min. Also let him just sit in
bag for 20 to let the water temp be the same.
<Generally the slower
the acclimation period the better... drip acclimation is more gradual.>
Thanks as always JOE
<Welcome as always, Mich>
One more Q... dead Star indications... 7/25/07
Hi
again thanks for the info on my blood shrimp. I am a little worried
about a Red Bali Starfish. How con you tell if it is dead? It is still
stuck to me live rock but doesn't move at all like my chocolate chip
star fish. Is that normal? Is it true you don't have to feed a Bali
starfish? Thanks again you guys are great! Joe
<Please... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/seastars.htm
and the linked files above. Bob
Fenner>
Growth on the back of my star fish... "she not slimmie, she move around
the tank, she eats," 7/7/07
My red general star fish
was attached to a off white feathery like worm that came out of my new
live rock.?
<What?>
I tried to pull the worm off my star fish but
it was inside as well.
<I'm trying to decipher what you've written
here... You saw some sort of whitish growth on your star? It might have
been part of this animal...>
My star fish is doing fine I think,
however one day a growth was on it back so I remove it, it was like
hanging and hard so I removed it. Now there a half inch growth
yellowish, red around some side.
<Huh?>
The growth is lodge in
between the peck
<?>
around the center of the back of the star
fish. The same place where the worm went inside.
<Likely more of the
star...>
As I look to the side it look like eggs and than when I look
down on it could be pus. What should I do?
<Read, understand, act...>
I do not have another tank to put the star fish in
<This would be
best... to move it to (hopefully) better conditions... but it is likely
doomed>
and I'm worried about the other fishes
<Say what?>
in
the tank. Two clowns, and one shrimp. The star fish color is fine, she
not slimmie, she move around the tank, she eats,
<Sounds like a new
wave-oh music refrain>
This growth was not on her two days ago, now
it big and look like it what to pop. I've being going thought this with
her for about two and a half week now.
Since the worm went inside
her, I though I killed the worm when I pulled it off. Does anyone know
what I should do.
Sheila Reed
<Read, and quick; here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/stardisfaqs.htm
and the linked files
above.
Bob Fenner>
Help. sick chocolate chip starfish. Using WWM 6/13/07
Hello. I've had my CCS for a little over than a month, and he has always
been good. But the past week for some reason the nitrates in the tank
have gone up to around 20ppm.
<See WWM re...>
I've done many
water changes, god rid of all the algae on the side of the glass, and
off the sand on the bottom, and still the nitrate is high. i
<I>
have one damsel also and he doesn't bother the starfish at all. Today i
noticed that near the stomach of the star fish, that his skin was
falling off, and i could see these white bump like things, where the
skin no longer was. and the little tentacles around that area were dead
like. ive looked all around the website and i cannot figure out what is
wrong. please help!
Olivia T
<Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chocchipstars.htm
The linked files above.
BobF> Sand-sifting Starfish... dying 5/12/07
Hey
<Hello! Mich here.>
Have a problem...
<OK.>
Got a
sand sifting star fish from the LFS about two weeks ago.
<Mmm, these typically don't do well in captivity, often dying from
starvation.>
He has a hole in his back now!?
<Uh-oh,
not good!>
Whitish greenish stuff is coming out of it!
<Yikes!>
He has been acting normal until this morning, still alive
but not very active. What is wrong with him?
<Sounds like he's
dying.>
Is there anything I can do?
<It is likely too late. I'm
sorry. Mich> Re: Sand-sifting Starfish... Dying... Make That
Dead. 5/13/07
Well thanks for the reply, he died
sometime after midnight.
<I'm sorry for your loss.>
He continued
to move around the tank like everything was fine and that hole just kept
getting bigger. In less then 24 hours he went from being fine to
basically a decomposed ball. Why do they die this way?
<I'm not sure, but it is typically the way it happens. Possibly because
the tissue in the center is softer than the legs.>
Is
there some biological advantage?
<Hmm, an interesting
question. Generally there is no biological advantage to
death. Although, in this case, there would be more likelihood of
reproduction if each leg had a small part of the central disc, which in
nature, might allow for regeneration. So one intact seastar could
theoretically, produce more than one seastar, if physically
divided. Perhaps, a part of the reason that physical deterioration
often starts at the central disc, as each leg would need a part of the
central disc to regenerate.>
I did a 20 <gallon> water change about
4 hours before this started, so I'm pretty sure I killed him some how by
doing that.
<I don't think a water change alone would
cause his death. There were likely many contributing factors, perhaps
the biggest being stress from being shipped/relocated several times over
a short timeframe. Do not blame yourself.>
I did check the salinity
before adding the new water...
<The salinity needs to be matched
closely, and seastars are sensitive to changes in salinity, but it is
unlikely this was the sole reason for his death. Again I'm sorry for
your loss. Mich>
Fromia Star question – 4/26/07
Dear
crew,
<Hi Kris, Lynn here.>
Thank you for your reply identifying
my batik star as a Fromia. However, I'm still not sure what to feed him.
I haven't read any clear-cut messages that these stars are meat eaters
or algae eaters or just detritus. I read one description that they feed
on the fine algae film covering the tank. Since it's in a q-tank
without any substrate what should I feed him?
<I’m not sure which
species you have but they’re generally omnivorous. They could eat
anything including sponges, detritus, film algae, sessile invertebrates,
to meaty foods such as bits of clam, shrimp, krill, etc.>
Last night
I tried small pieces of chopped up fresh shrimp, but there didn't seem
to be any interest. Would pieces of Nori be better? Help, I don't want
him to starve!
<If the star was just introduced into QT, it might
still be adjusting. I’d continue to offer various meaty foods (as
mentioned above), just be sure to remove anything the star doesn’t eat.
As for the Nori, I’m not sure if it’ll eat it but I’d definitely give it
a try.>
Thanks,
Kris
<You're welcome and good luck! -Lynn>
Re: Fromia Star question 4/26/07
Thanks for the
help, but now I don't hold out much hope. Just took a peek at him and he
has that hole in the center I read about.
<Truly unfortunate. I’m so
sorry to hear that.>
Would furan help? BTW I have an anemone in the
q-tank too.
<Although I’ve read that Furan can help when you’ve got
a sea star leg that’s deteriorating, I’m not aware of it helping this
type of deterioration on the disk. When this sort of thing crops up, it
seems to advance very quickly. I’m sorry I don’t have better news for
you. Take care and best wishes –Lynn> Sea
Star Help...but what kind? 4/26/07
Hello,
<Hi.>
I'll start off with some specs:
<Okay.>
29 Gallon FOWLR
<A
bit cramped for most sea-stars.>
30lbs Live rock
My levels are:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10 ppm
<Needs to be lower.>
S. Gravity: 1.022
<Needs to be higher for invertebrate life...1.024
at least.>
pH: 8.2
I purchased a red sea star from
LiveAquaria.com the other day and received it yesterday.
<What
species?>
After about an hour of drip acclimating it, I
finally decided it was ready to be put into the tank.
<No quarantine?.. and I prefer to acclimate seastars longer, they are
very sensitive to differences in water quality.>
Everything seemed
well, but when I woke up this morning it looks as if all its insides
have come out.
<Not good.>
I looked up the articles on starfish
but I really didn't know what to search for with this. It is still
alive and moving, but why has everything "fallen" out of it?
<Hard to say without knowing what species this is...>
Its only
tankmates are a Percula Clown and a Serpent Sea Star which hasn't even
come near it as far as I can see, it tends to stay in its cave at the
complete opposite side of the tank. Is this normal?
<See above
comment^^.>
I'm rather new to the hobby and my tank is only about 6
months old, but it doesn't seem like something that would be normal for
anything, to have its guts fall out.
<Good be a reaction
to the shift in water quality; I would like to give you a more detailed
answer but first shoot me a response with the species
(Latin/scientific...if you have it) name. Should be on the LiveAquaria
site or on your invoice.>
Thank you,
Brittani
<Adam J.>
Pisaster disease 4/21/07
Hi,
I have a Pisaster
brevispinus in a large temperate system
<Yes, a coldwater
species>
and recently it has developed what look almost like
blisters all over its skin. I am having trouble finding information
on what this could be and how to cure it. I have others in the same
system that are doing just fine. I am attaching a picture -
hopefully this will help. Please email me back with what this could
be. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Allicia S.
<Have seen,
read of this sort of symptom on Asteroids... tropical and not... but
no definitive "cause"/effect, nor cure... I would isolate the
affected individual/s... possibly necropsy ones that perish... Maybe
a call or email to folks at some of the west coast public
aquariums... Fernando Nosratpour at the Birch Aquarium, folks at the
Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, the Monterey... Likely they
have seen this in other Pisaster and Patiria species. Bob Fenner> | 
|
Red Fromia star has hole in its head! Help! 4/1/07
Hello all,
<Hi Luis, Mich here.>
Thanks for all the incredible
info on your website. I just bought a red Fromia star about 4 days ago.
Everything seemed to be fine, but this morning it's there is a hole
right in the middle of the starfish, opposite of where it's mouth would
be. It looks like something attacked it overnight.
<Possibly, but
often these stars just don't acclimate well and promptly begin to
disintegrate.>
I have a skunk cleaner shrimp, a fire shrimp, six
Mexican hermit crabs, a wrasse, an ocellaris clown, a psychedelic
mandarin, a purple firefish and a teddy bear crab. When I added the
starfish to the tank I also added 2 different sponges to the tank (the
teddy bear crab hitch hiked in on one of them).
<Oh! Do watch these
sponges, if they decide to die they can take out your whole tank.>
Do you think that one of these could have attacked it?
<Teddy bear
crabs are not reef safe.>
The starfish has been hanging out on the
glass on the top of the tank, so I don't think it could have been one of
the crabs.
<May not have been.>
Could one of the shrimp have
done this?
<Also a possibility, but I think is more likely a
transport/acclimation issue.>
Also, do you think the starfish can
live through this? The hole is not pretty, it looks like its tentacles
are coming out of the top if it's "head".
<Not likely, but is
possible.>
It is still alive right now, but don't know if I should
just take it out of the tank so that it doesn't end up fouling my water.
<I would give it a chance but keep a close eye on it. If it stops
moving remove it.>
Any insight would be appreciated.
<Hope this
helps.>
Thank you!
<Welcome! -Mich>
Luis Re: Red
Fromia star has hole in its head! Help! 4/4/07
Mich,
Thanks for the reply.
<Welcome!>
The star ended up dying.
<I'm sorry for your loss.>
I believe it to either be an acclimation
issue OR the teddy bear crab.
<Either are possibilities.>
I went
back to the shop where I had acquired the star and there was a star from
the same batch that disintegrated also.
<Unfortunately this is not
terribly surprising.>
But, to my horror, I caught the teddy bear
crab eating my sand-sifting star the next day! It ate a whole arm before
I knew what was happening.
<Yikes! I would not recommend the
sand-sifting star (Astropecten spp.). These stars decimate your sand
bed removing beneficial organisms and typically starve after a few
months in captivity.>
Needless to say I have removed the
teddy bear crab from the tank.
<Mmm, hopefully to a suitable home
and not an untimely demise.>
I had searched online about the teddy
bear and various sites said it was reef safe and a detritus eater so I
thought it was safe, thanks for the info that says otherwise....wish I
would have known.
<Not every source hold equal value.>
Hopefully
the star will live and regenerate a new arm.
<It may.>
Unfortunately, none of my corals are happy since adding the sponges. The
tank at the store that one of the sponges was in was being cleaned when
I bought it (water was really cloudy). I'm starting to think that I
introduced a lot of toxins since I had to introduce that water into my
tank.
<Yikes!>
I am going to do a few water changes daily for
the next few days to get any toxins out.
<Do watch this
carefully. Dying sponges can really do a lot of damage.>
Green
mushroom won't open up, gorgonian won't come out and my torch is losing
tentacles!
<Ho buoy! Not good!>
I'm about to do a water change
right now.
<Good!>
I changed it yesterday and the gorgonian came
out for a while.
<You may need to do several large changes here!>
Wish me luck!
<Good luck my friend!>
Thanks again for the info,
<You are most welcome! -Mich>
Luis Sea Star
Fromia disintegrating 3/23/07
Hi,
<Hello>
I, like
many of your readers, have had a Fromia Sea Star for about 1 week and
one of his arms is disintegrating starting at the tip. I feel that it
is an acclimating issue.
<Mmmm, not likely. Perhaps collateral
damage (collection, handling, shipping) and maybe unsuitable
environment>
I need some guidance regarding a couple of treatment
plans I've read on your website.
First of all, I do not
have a QT. One suggestion that I read was to "swab a reef strength dose
(of iodine) directly onto the affected portion with the intent to stain
it. Questions: 1) What is a reef strength dose of iodine?
<As in
"straight out of the bottle"... product/s made for supplementation>
2) How do you swab on the medicine without exposing the starfish to
air?
<Can't as far as I'm aware>
Second suggestion:
On your site I read that to save such a starfish, consider dipping it in
a dilute antibiotic bath. Questions: 1) What antibiotic, 2) How long to
dip, 3) Where to dip the animal
<Usually Furan Compound/s... e.g.
Nitrofuranace... folks use a bit of the system water, dissolve the
contents (usually) of a 250 mg. capsule...>
Thank you in advance for
your help. You have a great website.
<I wish I could be more
positive here... This genus does better than most all others, in captive
settings... but does require matching, stable, high quality water
("reef") conditions... Plenty of established live rock... Almost all,
once they show such deterioration, perish soon thereafter. Bob Fenner>
Need help with my sea star, sand-sifter (Astropecten spp.) 3/3/07
Hello,
<Hi Nikki! Mich here.>
I'm really new to the reef
tank world,
<Welcome to the briny world. I would like to
recommend a book to you titled "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist"
by Robert M. Fenner. I think it is the best book out there for a
new hobbyist and belongs on the shelf of every marine aquarist>
and I notice a couple days ago that my sand sifter had cut off part
of one of its "legs".
<Hmm, unlikely he "cut" it off.>
I
checked it out and everything else seemed fine.
<Everything
being???>
I just got home tonight, and I notice that it's not
missing another part of another "leg".
<It's... ?not?
....missing? I'm confused.>
I don't have a clue what's going
on.
<Not sure I do either.>
It's also on top of the sand
all arch up. I'm worried that it might be dying, not getting
enough food.
<Both possibilities here I'm afraid. The
position is not exactly normal for a sand-sifting star (Astropecten
spp.). These aren't really appropriate creatures for most home
aquariums.>
Please help.. Thanks for your time..
<I'm not
sure what to tell you here. These stars typically don't fare very
well. I'm not sure how big your tank is but they should be kept in
a minimum of 100 gallons, even then the odds of survival aren't very
good. Same story for your Flame scallop (Lima scabra) these don't
do well in aquariums unless you can provide a significant quantity
of very fine plankton, best if you can culture your own
phytoplankton.>
Also here are two pictures.
<Got'em.>
Nikki J
<Sorry I don't have more positive info for you. -Mich> |
Re: Need help with my sea star, sand-sifter (Astropecten spp.)
3/3/07
Thank you Mich.
<You're welcome Nikki.>
Sorry I was really tired, and then really worried. I tend to
get scatter brained.
<I understand, I have been guilty of
all too often.>
It didn't have another missing "leg" It was
just buried in a way that looked like it was cut off.
<OK.>
I'm thinking that a coral I have might have fallen on
him to cut off the arm/leg.
<Possible.>
The arching up
it's still doing. I think it might be doing this to get more
food?
<Seems unusual to me.>
We feed every other day
the DT's and the frozen cubes.. I also make sure I put some
into the sand, as I am worried that it's not getting enough
food.
<Yes, unfortunately the nutritional requirements of
these creatures aren't well understood.>
The everything
being
amonia-0
n-rate-0
n-rite -0
hydrometer-31
cal-390
Thank you for your help. Also might the arching be
it trying to feed?
<I don't think so, typically feed by
sifting the sand.>
Thanks again.
<You're
welcome. -Mich> | 
|
Sand Sifting Starfish, "worms" ID Without Photo - 02/09/2007
<Greeting, Mich here.>
My starfish has what looks like green worm's
coming from it legs. What is this?
<If it's not his tube
feet, it is difficult to say without a crystal ball or perhaps a
picture. As you may well know, a picture is worth a thousand words. If
you can send a photo, someone may be able to help.
-Mich>
Purple Linckia with Hole 1/31/07
Hi Crew! I purchased a
purple Linckia starfish
<Mmm, likely Tamaria... another genus
altogether... Please check, confirm this>
about 2 weeks ago. I
have had great success with an orange one & a blue one, which is
nice & thick, after over a year. I know a year isn't long, in the
life of an aquarium but it really is doing great.
<Good to hear,
read>
The purple star doesn't come out much. The attached pic
is the 1st time it came out entirely, since I got it.
<Oh! Yes,
this is Tamaria stria>
I noticed a tiny hole, near the middle of
it's body (see attached pic).
<I see this>
Someone at RC
suggested, Thyca crystallina.
<Maybe>
I looked this up & it
looks like a tiny blue shell. I don't see any shell, just a
hole. Would this parasite bore that deeply?
<Oh yes>
Is it
fatal? Can I do anything about this?
Thanks, Jeni/Pufferpunk
<Oh, hi Jen... can be fatal, directly or as a source of secondary
invasion... one can try "exploratory surgery", possibly a
predator... but all the common molluscicides are also deleterious to
the health of Echinoderms that I'm aware of. If it were me/mine, I'd
likely just leave this animal as is... and hope for the best. Bob
Fenner> | Re: Purple Linckia
with Hole 2/1/07
Hey Bob, Thanks for the ID! While
waiting for your response, I did a bit more research &
discovered this may be the starfish's madreporite.
<Maybe>
My concern now is the vascular apparatus supposed to hang open
like this?
<Mmm, no>
Unfortunately, this star is very
shy & stays hidden almost all the time.
<Not atypical for
the species>
I can't check to see if it's madreporite is
still open or not.
<These "stone canals" are almost
always "open">
Any news on diving Bonaire in April?
Thanks, Jeni/PP
<Mmm, no... 'cept it doesn't appear I'm
going to check out the digs, possibility next month... No one to
go with then either... B> | 
|
Damaged Red Fromia
Hi Bob!
<Q>
Disappointed to report
that a red Fromia introduced to 40 gal tank approx 4 weeks ago isn't
doing so well.
Before buying specimen I did all the right things
(selected a health specimen, observed for about 2 weeks, closely
examined underside of sea star, etc.). Used drip acclimation
procedure...
<Good>
Fromia appeared to be doing very well
(moving around tank, seemed to be eating).
<Hard to tell with this
group and most all other invertebrates... re damage before receiving,
internal complaints... the time frame for these is quite delayed...>
Last Thursday morning (about 2 days after 10% water change) I noticed
that the star appeared to be distressed. It had moved to the top of the
tank and "bending" 2 of its legs back so that they were almost parallel
with the water surface.
<"Trying to get out">
At that point I
did 2 things… checked WWM and called LFS. WWM indicated this was most
likely a stress response; LFS said this was 'normal' behaviour (sea star
filter feeding by dangling its legs).
<?... No... Please... have you
ever seen such a thing? In the wild, in captivity? This is not a filter
feeding species>
Not being clear on what was happening
I
decided to wait it out. The next morning the specimen was in BAD
shape. One leg was extremely damaged. Almost looked like the 'skin'
covering the leg had separated from inner tissues. (basically the
damaged leg had split in 2 – orange outer skin sheath and inner white
body tissue).
<Decomposing... I do hope you removed the specimen>
Weird thing, damage was completely restricted to that one leg. The
damaged leg has since completely dissolved into a small nub. (I noticed
coral beauty angle picking at dead tissue).
<Not atypical behavior>
I assumed this problem was caused by a reaction to the water change but
now I'm not so sure.
<New water needs to be carefully matched...
slowly added... done not too in/frequently...>
I find it strange
that only one leg was affected. Throughout this ordeal the sea star has
maintained its colour and has begun to move around the tank the last few
days. I considered moving specimen into a hospital tank but given
what it has already gone through I wasn't sure if this was prudent. I
honestly didn't think the sea star would make it this long.
<Me
either>
I'm frustrated by the fact that I was aware, prior to
performing water change, that Fromia are sensitive to WQ changes. I
tried to match pH, temp and sal (in particular) to tank water.
<Good>
Is the damage to my specimen consistent with WQ 'shock' or
could this have been caused by something else.
<Either>
I'm
fairly certain I've got a mystery crab living in my LR. The previous
owners of the tank had observed a nocturnal crab. When I purchased the
tank and LR, I noticed the body of a crab in a little pocket in the
LR. At the time I assumed that this was the nocturnal crab and that it
was dead, Since then, I've been through a couple of molts with my
cleaner shrimp and now realize how lifelike their molt can look. I also
noticed a couple of crab molt fragments in the tank that weren't there a
few days ago. The pieces appear to be white with orange dots. The
complete carapace I observed after purchasing the tank was about 2 –3 cm
in diameter…. Could this be attacking my sea star?
<Yes, could>
Any thoughts
on what this crab might be (based on my crappy
description…).
<A decapod...>
What are the chances that my star
will be ok?
<Not too good>
Thanks a lot!
q
<Welcome. Bob
Fenner>
Another "Good
ol" Linckia question ... health, comp. 11/21/06
Hi Bob,
Hope you don't mind being emailed directly, but I'm a bit desperate (and
I do realize you must get a LOT of mail)
<Mmm, some, some days>
I have been reading your pages for years now, but have never actually
asked a question before ( your FAQs are so comprehensive, I've always
found what I'm looking for, thanks for the years of valuable passive
assistance).
However, I'm stuck this time and hope you can help.
My Blue Linckia (WAIT!! ....please keep reading)
<Heeeeee!>
who
I have had happy and healthy for about 2 and a half years now in
a FOWLR 90 litre tank lost a leg last week after I added a Valentini
Puffer, a Dragon Wrasse , and a turbo snail (yeah, I know.. I bought
the Wrasse on a whim , with no research, just advice of LFS, stupid!),
<A Novaculichthys will get too large for this volume... the Toby and it
will easily pick the Linckia to bits...>
a Domino also died with
in 2 days, with a very minor abrasion on one side.
The leg was
quite mangled and half of it was in the bottom of the tank ( I suspect
the puffer , but can't prove anything), I removed him and cleaned the
leg up to a tidier cut just at the disc with a scalpel hoping he would
grow it back, then put him back in.
Then I noticed the puffer having
a go at the "Manky bit" and don't know if it's because it is a tempting
wound now , or if she was responsible in the first place.
<Too
likely this latter>
So I upended a small 5 litre tank inside the
main tank and put him in there with some live rock, because I was afraid
she would not let him regenerate.
<Not at all probable to happen...>
He wandered around inside the little tank for about a week looking
pretty good , but this morning I found him curled up and flaccid on the
bottom, and another leg seems to be exuding the same white fibrous
material from a new small wound that the original damaged leg had
coming out of it, and the damaged limb is showing no sign of repairing
itself, he looks in bad shape, staying rigid with few "feet" coming out
or moving around, can't even feed him because he won't relax over the
food , which disappears immediately to a fish .
I was afraid he was
starving in his small enclosure, so I have put him back in the main tank
to "take his chances" with the puffer What should l I do, please help.
can't bear to lose him?
<... another tank...>
My tank is
something of a miracle anyway , since it has no skimmer , is only 90
litres with a basic trickle filter, but he has been so healthy for so
many years , he obviously finds it ok,
<Yes... much preferred to a
too-sterile typical reef setting for this Asteroid>
as does my clown
. Pseudochromis bicolor and other anemones etc.
<Other anemones?>
The ammonia and nitrites are still nonexistent , PH is fine and so is
salinity , only the temperature is varying by about 2 degrees daily at
the moment as we are having a very hot spell ( any tips for cooling a
tank?)
<Posted on WWM>
Thanks for the help in advance
Cheers,
Rama
<This Linckia is very likely a goner... your "luck"
with this sort of mixing is nearing an end. Bob Fenner>
Another Sea Star Gone Missing! - 10/20/06
I need your help
please!!!
<<Let's see what I can do>>
Hi my name is Monica.
<<Hello Monica...Eric here>>
My husband and I have a 100-gallon tank
where we have about 50 lbs of live rock, (2) anemones, (2) clown fish,
(1) yellow tang,
(1) Naso tang, (1) blue tang (yes, my yellow tang
is a bit aggressive towards my Naso but is getting better ),
<<Mmm...would suggest you have too many/inappropriate tangs for this
size tank. The Naso can reach 18" in the wild...the Blue (Hippo?) can
reach 12". Both are robust, active critters and will be susceptible to
developmental retardation in this system...in my opinion>>
(2)
Chromis, (1) scarlet cleaner shrimp, (1) Marine Betta which by the way
he is the sweetest thing ever ...
<<Indeed, very passive
fish...unless it can get the other fish in its mouth <grin> >>
We
got lucky on this one, he just hangs around his cave and comes out to
eat, doesn't bother our shrimp.
<<yet>>
These are all small
fish, the biggest one being our Naso tang and next comes our marine
betta. We also have red mushrooms, green hairy mushrooms, spotted
mushroom, few bunches of different polyps, a beautiful tree coral, candy
coral, and I think that is it ... oh yeah and a clam...
<<Sounds
very nice>>
What was my question?
<<Hee!>>
Oh yeah, well a
few months back we bought a beautiful star fish it was an orange-red
star fish (I think this is its scientific name "Echinaster" species) it
was a small one. It was very active for a long time maybe about a month
or so ... and then suddenly it disappeared one day.
<<This is not an
uncommon tale>>
Since it was so small we thought maybe somehow went
thru the filter but we literally turned the tank upside down and we
could not find it at all.
<<The scavengers in our systems usually
make quick work of mortalities>>
We assumed it really went thru the
filter and decomposed.
<<Likely just died within the structure of
live rock...and likely completely consumed in less than 24-hrs.>>
Few months went by and about 3 weeks ago we purchased another orange red
sea star, but this time we went much bigger it was probably about
5". It was doing really great, moving around the rocks, we did notice
it went up to the surface a lot probably to get some oxygen,
<<No,
likely just "exploring" its surrounding...or...if you have water quality
issues...trying to "escape">>
but one day ...actually couple days
ago we notice it was missing and we really don't know how long it has
been missing. We have looked all over, we purchased a few polyps
recently along with the tree coral and we moved some rocks to have the
correct placements of these items recently purchased and keeping in mind
that the star fish might be hiding in one of these rocks but absolutely
nothing ... our 2nd starfish is MIA. What do you think happen to it?
<<These animals are easily injured if mishandled/acclimated
improperly. Quick changes in salinity can cause injury to their
vascular system, exposure to the atmosphere can cause air entrapment in
same. Some starfish (Linckia sp.) seem to do very poorly no matter how
carefully handled...perhaps Echinaster is one of these. Even many of
the hardier starfish can be unknowingly starved to death...seemingly
doing well only to mysteriously "disappear">>
Where is my starfish?
<<Likely gone/consumed>>
Do you think something in my tank ate it?
<<Not before it died>>
I know it didn't escape; we do not have any
pets (other than our fish) so if it did we would of found it on the
floor or on top of the tank. So this is a mystery to us now. If you
think you can help us in anyway please do so. This is the second
starfish that goes MIA.
<<Most of the "reef-safe" starfish require a
"mature" system with ample live rock on which to graze. You don't
mention the age of your system but, I would suggest you add another
25-50 pounds of live rock and try one of the small "Fromia" species of
starfish
Thank you so much,
The Garths
<<Happy to
assist. Eric Russell>> Re: Another Seastar Gone Missing! –
10/25/06
Eric - Thank you so much for your help.
<<Is my
pleasure to assist>>
I am sad to hear that our starfish got consumed
by someone else in our tank.
<<But likely after its demise>>
And
I am sorry to hear that I will have retarded fish ... :o(
<<Indeed>>
Eventually we will upgrade our tank to a bigger one.
<<But sooner
rather than later...or find other homes for the Naso and Blue tang>>
We have had this one for 1 year and actually have about 70Lbs of live
rock ... since I forgot to mention that last time.
<<Mmm, you did
mention you had 50 lbs of rock>>
But thank you so much for your
help.
<<Quite welcome>>
FYI our Marine Betta is not doing well
at all, it stopped eating for 3 days and has a big bite on his tail and
this morning he was breathing very hard, I am scared to go home and find
it belly up.
<<Doesn’t sound good...>>
Not sure what happened,
because he was just fine! :o(
<<Hmm...perhaps look to the afore
mentioned tangs for harassment issues here>>
But again, Eric, thanks
so much for your help ... next time we will try to get the other type of
starfish species!
<<Excellent>>
Thanks, Monica
<<Regards,
EricR>>
Sea star (Choc. Chip) Health... Ophiuroid comp. 10/3/06
Hi
there, I was wondering if you could help me out. a few days ago I
bought a brittle star and he's doing great he's about 8-10 inches
from leg to leg and his body is about an inch in diameter. my
question is is there a great chance that he will eat any of my fish.
<Mmm...>
I know that large green brittle stars eat fish and I'm
hoping that this guy won't be quite so dangerous. my fish are pretty
small 2 yellow damsels, a blue damsel, and a blue mandarin. I've
attached a picture he's brown with white spots.
<Think this is a
relative safe species in terms of fish predation>
also this
is completely unrelated but happened just days after purchasing my
brittle star. my chocolate chip star, which has surprisingly been
reef safe for about a year, had one of it's legs eaten by my tongue
coral. about half his leg has been stripped to his skeleton and I'm
wondering how long it might take for his leg to heal, if it doesn't
get infected, and is there anything I can do to help him along.
thanks.
<... Though it's highly unlikely this Star will
recover... If possible, I'd place it in a separate system for
observation, and to avoid pollution in its probable demise. Bob
Fenner> | 
|
Fromia Seastar Ailment, Sir Paul's Mum ref.
8/7/06
Hello Crew,
I am a proud owner of a year old 75 gallon
SW tank. Throughout my freshman year of keeping SW fish, I purchased
almost all "begginer"
<Do like this spelling, instead of beginner...
a bit different meaning/intention>
livestock (2 perculas, 3 chromis,
1 royal Gramma, lawnmower blenny, sm. crabs & snails).
I had very
good luck with all of these animals and my tank has never, ever had any
traces of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate ( w/ SeaChem test kits).
<Wow, no NO3?>
So, understandably, I thought it was time to branch
out. Last week I purchased (from Dr. Foster) a pineapple tree coral, a
green mushroom, and a Fromia seastar. After absorbing all the info I
could off of your site I was confident I could take care of the star.
After receiving it, I poured it & it's water in a bucket. I then, over
the course of 4 hours, dripped water in through airline tubing.
<Mmm, did you happen to measure the spg of the water in the bag? Needs
to be near-matched... adjusted over days, weeks if very different>
The star looked very healthy and mobile. When it was time to place him
in the tank however, I neglected to realize that the water
the
seastar was in was cooler than the water in the main tank.
<Mmm, not
generally much of an issue>
I was too concerned with not exposing
the star to air to notice this possibly fatal mistake. After being
placed in, the star moved around as usual for a couple of days.
He climbed the glass up to the waterline where he still is today, 6
days after initial placement. This alone wouldn't be that bad, but the
star's central disk is excreting little intestine-looking globs (does
not look like a stomach). That's not all- several pores on his front
side are bulging out, they're beginning to look like bubbles that are
about to burst.
<Bad...>
I guess there is a bright side- no
visible signs of necrosis such as white marks or decaying tissue. A
reason for the stars demise might be a pH drop in my tank at night.
<How much? A few tenths of a point should be fine>
I don't have any
fancy equipment to help balance this out. I am a realist, and I
understand that the situation is pretty grim, but
I'm curious as to
what I should do now. Should I move the star down to the substrate
<No. Will move itself>
and trying feeding him some formula one
(doubt he's eaten anything substantial while in my tank), should I be
like Paul McCartney and let it be,
<Good point/comparison... This is
what I'd do>
or should I dispose of it immediately? And finally
(didn't know I'd type this much) should I try my luck again with
seastars with this new
knowledge and maybe some new equipment (I
don't like serpent stars, may be hardier but I find them creepy).
<Can't tell...>
Thank you guys so much, without you I would have
never gotten into this incredible hobby. BTW: my mushroom and tree
corals are doing well from what I can tell : ) Specs--> Emperor 400
gph powerfilter; Whisper 300 gph filter; Two 200 gph powerheads; 260
watt PC (soon to add another 130 watt); Remora skimmer; 75 lbs live
rock; Alkalinity 2.5 meq/ L; Calcium 500 ppm; Salinity 1.025; Temp 81 F.
<Mmm, your alk. is a bit low, the calcium a bit high... I'd look into,
allow these to adjust more to "middling" values... and try another
Fromia if you should lose this one. Bob Fenner> Night
Abductions... Sick red African Star, also dwarf lionfish
Scotter's go 7/27/06
Hello Bob,
<Scott F. in for Bob
tonight>
I love your book and your wonderful website. You guys are
keeping my fish alive!
<Well, YOU are doing the hard part- we're
just along for the ride!>
Here are a few questions for you…
<Okay..>
I have a two months old (relatively new) 55G reef setup and
green and brown algae are starting to form. So I ran out and got a sea
star to clean the tank. It turned out to be an (Protoreastor lincki)
African or Horned Sea Star, which I don’t know if it is reef safe.
<Not really, IMO.. They can eat all sorts of sessile inverts.>
I
guess I may not have gone though the acclimation procedures long enough
(30 min) when I put him in the tank. A few minutes after it went in,
clear, slimy strings start to floats around it. The body goes from
being totally smooth to slight sandpapery in
texture. Although he
changes shaped a little bit, he hasn’t moved since I put him in the
tank last night. I also tested the water in the bag after the fact, and
it is at SG .018 and my tank water is at .023. Is it too drastic of a
change for him? Although it is not moving, I can still see some
wiggling tube feet coming out at the bottom of the star. Is he
going to make it?
<Potentially problematic...The environmental
change may have been too drastic. This could be a response to extreme
stress by the animal. Keeping environmental parameters stable is the
best you can do right now.>
My existing serpent star is doing
great! Which sea star is right for cleaning algae in a reef tank?
<I'd rely on snails for that job, myself.>
Secondly, I have a 5”
dwarf Fuzzy Lionfish (my sea puppy) which I just love.
<Very
endearing fish!>
He is well fed (he eats anything I put in front of
him) and doing very well except for a slightly clouded eye on one
side. He never hides, always out in the open (day and night) playing
power head surfing by zooming across the tank. Here is the problem;
some of my other fish (over half its size) are disappearing one after
another overnight. Two Maroon Clowns and three
Damsels, along with
a 3” Royal Gramma. There is no evidence that they ever get sick and
died and turned into hermit crab's lunch. Yet, I can’t be sure (and
refuse to believe) that my cute little Lionfish could have eaten all
these good sized fish. I have found nothing on the floor. Power head
and filters are free of fish filets. Are we looking at a possible case
of UFO
fish abductions?
<Before you call out Moulder and
Skulley, I'd think that it is possible for this Lionfish to do some
chomping on fishes that are a good percentage of his own size! You might
also be looking at a Mantis Shrimp, crab, or other predatory live rock
hitchhiker that comes out at night. Perhaps checking out the tank in the
middle of the night could yield some evidence.>
Thanks for your
help!
-Hosh
<The truth is out there, Hosh...Keep searching!
Regards, Scott F.> Sick red African Star, also dwarf
lionfish tankmate meals RMF's go 7/27/06
Hello
Bob,
<Hosh>
I love your book and your wonderful website. You
guys are keeping my fish alive!
<Actually you are... am glad we
can/help you>
Here are a few questions for you…
I have a two
months old (relatively new) 55G reef setup and green and brown algae are
starting to form. So I ran out and got a sea star to clean the tank.
<Mmm... Asteroids are not really "algae eaters">
It turned out to be
an (Protoreastor lincki) African or Horned Sea Star, which I don’t know
if it is reef safe.
<... Is not... and inappropriate for
this sized system>
I guess I may not have gone though the
acclimation procedures long enough (30 min) when I put him in the
tank. A few minutes after it went in, clear, slimy strings start to
floats around it. The body goes from being totally smooth to slight
sandpapery in texture. Although he changes shaped a little bit, he
hasn’t moved since I put him in the tank last night.
<Echinoderms
don't "like" chemical, physical changes in their world>
I also
tested the water in the bag after the fact, and it is at SG .018 and my
tank water is at .023.
<Yeeikes>
Is it too drastic of a change
for him?
<Oh, yes>
Although it is not moving, I can still see
some wiggling tube feet coming out at the bottom of the star. Is he
going to make it?
<Doubtful for long here>
My
existing serpent star is doing great! Which sea star is right for
cleaning algae in a reef tank?
<None>
Secondly, I have a 5”
dwarf fuzzy lionfish (my sea puppy) which I just love.
He is well
fed (he eats anything I put in front of him) and doing very well except
for a slightly clouded eye on one side. He never hides, always out in
the open (day and night) playing power head surfing by zooming across
the tank. Here is the problem; some of my other fish (over half its
size) are disappearing one after another overnight.
<Inhaled likely
by this Lion>
Two maroon clowns and three damsels, along with a 3”
royal Gramma. There is no evident that they ever get sick and died and
turned into hermit crabs lunch. Yet, I can’t be sure (and refuse to
believe) that my cute little lionfish could have eaten all these good
sized fish.
<Did do so most likely>
I have found nothing on the
floor. Power head and filters are free of fish filets. Are we looking
at a possible case of UFO fish abductions?
<Heeee! Just bigger,
faster tankmates. Bob Fenner>
Thanks for your help!
-Hosh
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