Brittle Star loosing leggs

sundance

sundance

Member
I'm just starting out and have just setup my first salt tank. It's been up about two months. I have a brittle Star Starfish that is loosing leggs. First I noticed a tip missing. It stays hide most of the time so I don't see it often. A week or so later I see it again and it has most of two of the five leggs gone. Then tonight about 5 days from before it only has part of two leggs. I moved it to a small tank where I was curing some live rock (ammonia is 0 in this tank so I am guessing the live rock is just about cured and it will be OK for the Starfish). :confused:
Everything else seems to be doing fine. I have five damsels (from 4 to 6 cm so they are small) A small Banded Coral Shrimp, a Sally Lightfoot Crab, one Atlantic Anemone, snails, Hermit crabs and a Yellow Sea Cucumber that hitched a ride with some coral I purchased.
I have two questions, first what could be taking apart the Brittle Star or could it be getting it's leggs jamed between rocks? The crab and shrimp have very small claws, I don't see how they could do this.
I have been told the Brittle Star will re-generate the legs. How should I care for this guy and what do they eat. Since he will be out of the main tank is there any thing special I should feed it? Any advice no mater how simple will be helpful .....I am just starting so I know very little about what to do.
Thanks for any help or advice you want to offer.
Sundance
 
dzones

dzones

Member
I purchased two of these brittle stars at the same time...one for each tank. The tank that was much more established actually had a similar problem like you. The star lost two legs almost completely. It happen just that one time and he grew them back. been fine since. I did only have a few other damsels in the tank on this one and can only guess one of them or an emerald crab may have been the culprit????
the other star in my other tank has never been hurt that i can tell.
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member
My guess is the tank is too new and unstable, and they should be introduced into a new tank over a slow period of hours IMO.....I would guess nothing is "tearing" his legs off.......they are falling off, and I suspect he will die shortly.....sorry, my opinion. Their legs often fall off when they are not doing well. Moving him probably made it worse.......some stars drop legs to reproduce.....not brittles though.....it is not doing well at all. BTW, they "see" with the tips of their arms, and when they are gone......it is blind. They have no brain, and even a lose arm will move even though it cannot eat and has no chance......there comes a point when it is best to just take it out of the water and let it die.......that is up to you when.
 
sundance

sundance

Member
OK, what is a “established aquarium” and When or what determines when it is “established”?
Thanks
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
usually around the 6 month mark a tank has worked a lot of the water issue out on it own. meaning a very stable system during the first few months as everything gets going the water will go through swings from one day to the next . these swings start to stablize out and stop as the tank matures.
also there is a ful growth of bacterias and many other chemicl things that take place during this time.
as far as the star. how did you acclimate it to the water. stars are very sensitive to any and all water changes. it puts them into osmotic shock this can take several months before signs start to show of it. which include loosing of limbs slowing down not eating that much.
Do NOT give up on him though brittle stars are one fo the more tough stars and can make it through a osmotic shock situation (not al the time) and can start regenerating his leags as long as the oral disk is intacked.
keep the water quality as high as you can and try feeding him on a regular basis and just keep an eye on him over the next few weeks to see if it starts to regain or dwendle in health.
HTH
mIke
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
ammonia is 0 in this tank so I am guessing the live rock is just about cured and it will be OK for the Starfish
just because ammoinia is zero doesn't mean the tank is cycled or that the star will be ok. The star is better off in the main tank, unless nirites, nirtrates are also zero and all other level are normal.
try to feed him,
When we moved the 55gl went through a mini cycle, nothing I could do. Our brittle did the same thing, tips of legs became white, he wouldn't eat, even though I'd put the food under him. He wouldn't move, stayed in the same place. I just left him alone, and put food near him every other day or so. Oh, I also kept the lights off on the side of the tank he was at, don't know if that help or not though. I really thought I was going to lose him, but didn't have the heart to just take him out, I kept hoping he'd get better. Over time he got better. He's not as big as he was, but he moves and there is no more whiteness on his legs. He also eats now.
what are the levels in the main tank? sg, am, nirtrates, nitrites, ph, ect...??? When was last water change? what size tank do you have?
Good luck with him.
 
sundance

sundance

Member
Here are the levels in the main tank:
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
ph 8.4
Ammonia 0
saline 1.0205
temp 82
The tank where I moved the Brittle Star:
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
ph 7.9
Ammonia 0
Saline 1.028
temp. 81
By the way, how do you send a private email on this board?
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member
Big falacy when folks think after the tank cycles it is stable.....pH, alk, and other factors keep trying to stablilize for atleast six months to a year.......even algae growth is trying to find a balance, and that plays with levels like the oxygen, which in turn messes with the pH etc etc etc etc etc etc......after the cycle is done.....the tank is not "established". When you can throw a dead fish in there (nothing huge of course), and NOTHING changes...not a single level.....it is established. Bugs will multiply until they eat the food, and then die back as they realize they have starved themselves.....after some time, the population will exactly equal the food supply.....you guys get those tiny white hard spirals on the glass? OK these tubeworms go crazy, and then after the food is used up....they die back.....eventually they reach a balance with the food supply.....see what I mean? It takes quite awhile for everything to reach a balance to a point where things are overpopulating and then dying off......to think you have created a STABLE working ecosystem in one or two months is insane........that's the fun and beauty of the hobby. Got a fish that loikes algae? OPK then he starts eating it....he eats it faster than it grows....this changes everything in the tank....less O2 from algae, more nutrients that were being removed......eventually it all balances out......OK, I'm babbling, but can you see how all this would take some time? After the cycle.....there is still sooooo much changing and trying to find balance....and it is still unstable. One more.........the pods in the tank are finding that the tank is starting to produce food for them......they start to multiply like crazy only to find there are now so many that the food source has run out.....they die back, but you just recently added a pod eating fish.....almost decimates the pods all together......here comes the food source back because the pods aren't there to eat it......eventually after you have the tank pretty stocked and running for awhile.......the lower food chain stuff starts to find a balance, and the tank is more stable for life higher in the food chain.................just my thoughts on tank stability......things are constantly changing and effecting the water for atleast a year....
 
sundance

sundance

Member
Should I bring up the saline in the main tank?
Sinner's Girl, you said you droped in food for the brittle star. What did you feed it?
thanks
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
What color is this star?
How soon after you introduced it did you notice the arms disintegrating?
Did you say that the specific gravity in the original tank was 1.0205? Or 1.025?? The first is WAY too low for a brittlestar, and, without acclimation, would cause stress.
The disintegration you are seeing is characteristic of osmotic shock, not predation. Nothing is eating this star.
The WORST thing to do in this case, is to move the star to a diffferent tank (especially if you didn't acclimate it for 4-5 hours to the new tank). Though the specific gravity is higher (higher is better, to a degree, and you are past that degree) without acclimation is is yet another shock for the animal :( Unfortunately, your pH is also significantly lower (bad) than the other tank, causing additional stress.
If healthy, the animal could regrow the arms, but it is now severely stressed. It is a tough call to make. If, however, this is the beautiful bright red brittlestar, it is almost certainly a goner. Only time will tell at this point. IMO, do not try and move it yet again.
 
sundance

sundance

Member
ophiura,
It a Chocolate Brittle Star. So what are the ideal conditions? You seem to know these guys fairly well. If you would like to give me some help on getting the conditions right and maybe saving him (her ...it) you can email me at sundance@pobox.com
Thanks
 
sammystingray

sammystingray

Active Member
Chocolate Brittle Star ??????:confused: It could exist, but I have never heard of it.....did you mean chocolate chip starfish? Also......why ask her to email? doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of this board? Put the info out so everyone can read and benefit.......so we can learn from each other....what good would an email do the rest of us? Anyway....best of luck with the star.
 
stillfrodo

stillfrodo

Member
my error they are hardy but agressive eaters and can destroy a reef. Was looking at another classification of star. Sorry again
 
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