chocolate chip star question

[loopy]

I got the cc star about 3 weeks ago. The first couple days he stayed at the top of the tank. I fed him shrimp. Then he went to the bottom and has been there ever since. Moves occassionaly but not much. Sick? Normal behavior? He's not dead....yet..hmmm. ?????
Thank you.
(should I put some shrimp next to him and see if he wants it?)

 

[lefty]

Yes, putting the shrimp next to him is a good idea. From what I've heard about the Chocolate Chips, they should be climbing all over your tank. But I think it's entirely possible to have one that doesn't move around as much. How are your water parameters?
-lefty

 

[loopy]

the ph is just a little, a very small amount...low, otherwise all are very good. I put the shrimp near him, he wants nothing to do with it.???? Maybe he is eating off the bottom? Maybe he is dying?

 

[socer03dud]

i have a cholate chip star and moves all over the place, I had some snails for him to, he aite them. After he ate them though he slowed down. sometimes he'll just stay somewhere in the tank and not move

 

[takia]

When I added mine he moved around for the first day, then he was still for a week. Two months later he is fine, all over eating everything. My wish for you is that this is your case. They are a lot of fun!

 

[lefty]

If he still looks healthy, there may be hope for him yet. It's often quite difficult to figure out what, if anything, is harming a sea star. If all your levels are golden and you're regularly offering him food, there isn't much more you can do. Stars are especially sensitive to pH and salinity. What test kits do you use? Do you have a refractometer? If you're not getting accurate readings, this could very well be what's bothering him. If you're really concerned, you could try doing a 20% water change. There could also be absolutely nothing wrong with him or your tank parameters.
-lefty

 

[hydro]

mine did the same thing for a week, all over the top then he went down for a couple it seems normal to me.....

 

[lefty]

Great picture. You don't see too many pictures of them on the internet. I'm hoping to get one soon.
-lefty

 

[loopy]

thanks everyone. I put a piece of shrimp underneath him, checked later and he was 'taking it in', so I will just have to watch, wait and see what happens.
Thanks again!

 

[djmpj]

hello
This is my first time posting.
I got two CC Star Fish about a month ago.
How do you feed them? What do you mean put a shrimp by them? Do you mean frozen brine or mysis?
When they are near the top and bent over I take a small medical plunger thingy and "shoot" my defrosted shrimp at their tentacles, or right on them if possible. To be quite honest most of it floats away and the fish get it. But I am trying. I am a little worred because they look a little skinnier than they did when I got them.
Also, I boke the cardinal rule of aquariums and bought them without researching them. (LFS guy talked me into them while discussing an outbreak of algae I was having - I have not seen them eat the algae, but who knows.). I didn't realize they were not reef safe. I don't have any corals, etc. but did plan on getting something one day. I guess my plans have been changed.
DJ

 

[loopy]

hi and welcome djmpj! A lot of the time they will come to the top when they are hungry, but that's not the rule. some people can put the 'food' near them and they will take it. When mine was at the top, I took a small piece of thawed shrimp and put it under his leg...he took hold and worked it toward his stomach. Mine....not knowing if he is heathy or not....is not at the glass or top anymore, but I put a piece of shrimp under him and checked later and he was taking it in. Do a search on this site....use 'feeding chocolate chip starfish', you'll find a lot of info.

 

[djmpj]

OK, this is going to sound really silly but:
Is this a piece of shrimp as in table/coctail shrimp or shrimp made of our fish (mysis/brine)?
If it's the latter, how do you put a "piece"? Mine is like gel/liquidy by the time I defrosr it.
DJ

 

[loopy]

I bought frozen shrimp at the grocery store, what people would eat. No shells or anything. Read the ingrediants to make sure there are no 'preservatives' that might harm the fish. (I just did that, no one told me too, but I figured those perservatives might hurt the sea star. Please correct me if I'm wrong) Not all stores carry this, you might need to look at a 'natural food' store. We have a small one and that's were I got mine. The small bag was very inexpensive and FULL and will last me a long time. Now, I am a novice x 10 so anyone who wants to jump in and correct me, feel free to do so. No offense will be taken.
IF I can get this guy to eat....(he dumped the last one and didn't eat it....

) I will try and post a pic so you can see what I mean, I moved mine to the qt tank and hopefully he will come around cuz he looks thin and is motionless, but is alive, so am making a ditch effort to save him, although I may just take him back to the lfs and see if they can get better results. I don't know what is wrong....the tank and everything else in it are great....all the inverts too. Knock on a huge piece of wood..:nervous:

 

[hydro]

my choc. chip decided to make a run for the top this afteernoon.
hung out the water like this for about an hour and now it looks like he's headed back for the bottom.....how often should i offer him shrimp???????????

 

[loopy]

If he goes to the top and 'leans back' that often means they are hungry. As for how often to feed them..........ya got me...my adding to this thread will bump it up and maybe someone will tell you.
About my star.........It never did eat that shrimp...looked flat...I moved it to the qt tank...it is 'puffier' and it has it's legs curled up. Any input? He still isn't moving.

 

[lefty]

Feeding a chocolate chip 2-3 times a week should do nicely.
About your star, Loopy...curled up legs tend to be a sign of disintegration. If this is indeed what is happening to your star, there's really nothing you can do besides keeping your water pristine. Does the central disk appear to be falling apart in any way?
I hope for the best with your star, Loopy!
-lefty

 

[ophiura]

What are the water parameters in the Q tank - usually, it is not wise to move an echinoderm to another tank, as one of the fatal things is lack of acclimation...so just moving it to another tank (unless you did a drip acclimation) might be a bad move.
What is your specific gravity? What are other water parameters?

 

[loopy]

well...........I think all the things I could do...matter no more. Funny..O, I had second thoughts and made like an ambulance and put him back in the main tank, so he was in the qt tank only a matter of minutes, if that even. I came home from work and he looked shrivelly. Hmm, is that a word? I reached in and picked him up and he was limp...and a lot of stringy stuff was underneath him. He DID puff up some...and I put him back in, but I am thinking.........set him free to the doors of the great ocean in the sky.....why let the poor thing be miserable. Second one I have had that has kicked........taking it up with the lfs.....as I think they are not healthy in the first place. so...that is it for this little guy, will not be attempting another cc. Had fun feeding him by hand....now I feed my puffer by hand....so..I think I'll live. Thanks to everyone, and to everyone.......I hope you have better luck than me!!!

 

[ophiura]

By the way, if you want to ""put it down" (eg if it still shows some signs of life - like the tube feet still move a bit) you can "reverse acclimate"it by slowly adding freshwater to a container. Epsom salts (a few teaspoons in a corner, slowly tilting to mix) are also used to "relax" them ...an overdose of it goes one step further.....

 

[loopy]

thanks:nope: not likin this, but why make him suffer? Good bye little star.