Cleaner shrimp eating my snails and maybe my starfish

[dmc888]

I have a 55g FO tank with 2 p. clowns, bicolor blenny,3 g chromis,yellow goby, and a sandsifting goby. I noticed my cleaner shrimp trying to pull out one of my nassarius snails from its shell. i'm pretty sure it wasn't trying to clean it. . I tried scaring it away with my plastic tongs but just carried the snail around like baggage. I even thru some food at him he didn't care. The next day an empty shell. Now thats the second empty shell i found. I noticed recently my little sand sifting star has two damaged legs. Look shriveled up. The rest of him looks ok. I have another larger ss star and its fine. Everytime he comes out the shrimp jumps on him and the starfish moves faster than burys itself in the sand. I had my cleaner shrimp for about 6 months. I think he is about full size. Do you think the shrimp is killing the star fish. I seen him following it before, but not actually eating him. But the shrimp only attacks at dark like a vampire. I am planning on getting another starfish soon. I don't know what to do with him. I really don't mind the snails being eaten but not my stars. I am starting a 29 gallon but i want to have starfish in there too.
Tank reading was 8.1ph,0amm,0nitrite,nitrate 10ppm,amm .12, salinty at 21

 

[osufarker]

My cleaner shrimp will clean my starfish. It doesn't harm it in anyway as far as I can tell; this has been going on for months with no signs of harm. Never seen it go near a snail before.

 

[nitram]

interesting I was thinking of getting one of those guys for my tank, I will have to watch this post.

 

[dmc888]

He acted ok before. I think because hes bigger now hes more aggressive. He is bigger than most of my fish. Only one bigger is my sleeper head goby. I'm not sure about other stars but the sandsifters have little legs that are pretty delicate. I could imagine the shrimp do some damage. Thanks for the reply.

 

[ophiura]

The seastar is most likely dying of starvation or acclimation shock. THis is characteristic - it disintegrates. Most sand sifting stars die of starvation in captive systems smaller than 100g. Some will take to spot feeding but not all...and most people don't know to spot feed them anyway, thinking they just scavenge. But they are actually consuming the small critters in a sand bed...once this is gone, they digest their internal organs (leading to a kind of hollow look) and the arms start to disintegrate. If the stars and snails are dying for any reason, then the shrimp will most certainly go after them.
How long have you had the stars? How long have you had the shrimp? If you purchased these within the month, how long did you acclimate them? What are your specific water parameters, especially pH, specific gravity?
IMO, just from the description, your shrimp is not the cause of the seastars problems. Perhaps the snail, but snails die often and the shrimp would know that it was "ill" long before you could tell there was a problem.

[hr]
oops, just saw your parameters....
1.021 (which I am assuming is what you mean by "21") is too low a specific gravity for seastars...they should be at 1.025-1.026. Do you have measurable ammonia?
Also, keep in mind that not all stars are suitable for a 29g tank...the non reef safe are OK - like chocolate chips and generals, but not Linckia sp stars at all, or Fromia. These are extremely delicate and nearly all will starve in this size tank. Also remember they are very prone to acclimation problems, which is why they do best when added to tanks that are long stablized, and over 6 months old.

 

[dmc888]

I have had the large one for about 4 months and the little one for about 3mos. The shrimp i had atleast six months. I acclmtd them for an hour. My 55 has been up for 2 years. They have always been healthy till recently. I don't have no live rocks and pretty sure i don't have any worms in my live sand bed . I just noticed my large star has damage to the tip of one of his arms. My little guy looks worse , on 4 arms now. Everything looks ok but the arms. I caught the shrimp eating him . I seperated the little star and put him in a homemade qtine container i made and put it in my filter. I put sand and plenty of holes for the water to flow thru. I hope they make it because they do a great job on my sand. I thought they live mostly on (detritus)leftover food and waste. i'll start doing a small water change for the salinity.
So blue linkias wouldn't do good in a non reef tank. Thanks for the help.

 

[dmc888]

Ok examined the large star. It appears your right ophiura. The stars arms are deflating . I'll try spot feeding them.

 

[ophiura]

Unfortunately, this is indeed characteristic of starvation, and not seeing any worms or such in the sand also points to it. I am afraid to tell you that this is the fate of the majority of these stars in your size tank...some sooner, some later. Individuals may die in about 9 months, but with a pair...that speeds things up. Sorry In this case, your cleaner may very well just be attracted to the smell of them in their state. Definitely try spot feeding, but it may not work.