I need HELP, Weird things going on

[sepulatian]

I have some very weird things going on in my tank. I had a green brittle star look like he was actually chopped from each leg in in like 1/2 inch pieces. 3 days after I first noticed it he was just body left, no legs. Today my serpent star, which was only about 3" in diameter including legs has a huge hole in the top of his "head" for lack of a better word, almost the top of the entire body is a hole! I moved him to hospital tank, probably will die, but I aclimated him for 4 hrs into there, added melafix and vitamines to a piece of food. we shall see. I don't know what could be doing this. I have 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 coral beauty, 2 yellowtail damsels, 1 marine catfish and a few snails. None of my fish are agressive, and certainly none capable of chopping a star!!!!!! What could be doing this? Would water Quality cause this? I have a protien skimmer comming tommorow. Water quality isn't that bad, no amonia, no nitrite, slight nitrate, I know stars are sensitive to nitrate and I am doing weekly 20% water changes to bring it down. Please help!!!! I also have no live rock or live sand that might have brought in anything destructive.

 

[alyssia]

What is your specific gravity? How long have you had the stars?

 

[sepulatian]

1.o22 stars for 2 weeks

 

[alyssia]

Your sg needs to be 1.026 for stars. Also, how long did you do the initial acclimation?

 

[sepulatian]

Thank you alyssia. I don't think Salinity is the issue, then again I am not quite sure what is. I have never heard of stars needing SG that high though, Naturally I could be mistaken. My original acclimation was 2 hrs. They were fine for awhile, this attacking happened 4 days ago, and I am not sure by what. I am pretty sure not the salt content.

 

[alyssia]

Are you positive they were attacked? When stars are dying they sometimes look like they are falling apart. Also, if you do a search on here for specific gravity needs for starfish you will find that an sg of 1.025-1.026 is considered critical.

 

[sepulatian]

ok, no I have just never heard it has to be that high, not saying you are wrong. No, I don't know that they were attacked, that is whats driving me crazy!!!!!!! The green brittle looked absolutely chopped from each leg in into little pieces. and the serpent looked like a hole had been gouged into him, the hole happened today. not there one min, then there. no piece of flesh floating around the tank. I can not understand what is causing this.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by alyssia
Are you positive they were attacked? When stars are dying they sometimes look like they are falling apart. Also, if you do a search on here for specific gravity needs for starfish you will find that an sg of 1.025-1.026 is considered critical.

Can you please tell me how you did this search, I have looked in the searches and have tried different combinations of words on this site to find that information and have not found it. Please let me know where you found that.

 

[alyssia]

Search for "specific gravity needs of a star" The fourth thread down (damaged legs) has a reference to the sg needed. I'm sure you can find more searching those words.
I would post the link to the thread here but I don't know how.

 

[sepulatian]

alyssia, that was a specific kind of star that is very hard to keep, and whole legs were falling off, NOT what I am talking about!!!! I just looked more into the type of star that that article was about, and they need to feed off live rock and rarely live more than a month in a tank younger than a few years old.

 

[sepulatian]

Lion Where Are You???????

 

[jakebtc]

Originally Posted by alyssia
Search for "specific gravity needs of a star" The fourth thread down (damaged legs) has a reference to the sg needed. I'm sure you can find more searching those words.
I would post the link to the thread here but I don't know how.

alyssia, when you are on the page of the post you want to send to someone else highlight the address bar in your browser, after its highlighted right click on it and click copy
then when you post reply on, "for example, this thread" you right click in the white text box where you type your message and click paste
then you submit reply and it will show up as a blue "hyperlink" they can click on to take them right to it
hope I worded that well

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
alyssia, that was a specific kind of star that is very hard to keep, and whole legs were falling off, NOT what I am talking about!!!! I just looked more into the type of star that that article was about, and they need to feed off live rock and rarely live more than a month in a tank younger than a few years old.

But the specific gravity applies to ALL stars, not just that type.
Where's Ophiura????
I have done LOTS of research on seastars. Every reply I have seen on here when someone asks what sg they need for a seastar is always 1.025-1.026.
Next time do more research before you jump all over someone who is trying to help you!!

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by jakebtc
alyssia, when you are on the page of the post you want to send to someone else highlight the address bar in your browser, after its highlighted right click on it and click copy
then when you post reply on, "for example, this thread" you right click in the white text box where you type your message and click paste
then you submit reply and it will show up as a blue "hyperlink" they can click on to take them right to it
hope I worded that well

Thanks, but I still can't get it to work. When I right click "copy" dosen't come up.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
alyssia, that was a specific kind of star that is very hard to keep, and whole legs were falling off, NOT what I am talking about!!!! I just looked more into the type of star that that article was about, and they need to feed off live rock and rarely live more than a month in a tank younger than a few years old.

Go to the archive (bottom forum) and read Ophiura's IOTM of the month about seastars.

 

[alyssia]

It is in IOTM of the month part II, post 16, second to last paragraph

 

[lion_crazz]

Hey sepulation, from reading through everything, my best guesses are that the starfish are slowly dying due to low salinity levels, or you have something dangerous in the tank, such as a mantis shrimp.
You say that you "have no live rock or live sand that might have brought in anything destructive." Do you have any live rock at all? If so, I am not sure how one could be sure not having dangerous creatures. Every one of us is at risk if we keep live rock, IMO. Things like mantis shrimp and harlequin shrimp are very secretive creatures, live in tiny holes and pores in your live rock, and will usually only come out at night to feast on their prey. They have the claw strength to shred starfish's limbs, and will certainly do so for food.
Being that your salinity is low, I cannot rule that out though. That is a major thing with starfish (not as much with the ones you mentioned, but still important).

 

[alyssia]

Isn't that what I said in the first place?
..and Lion, thanks for the "pat on the back" in the other thread. I must be going off the deep end today.

 

[hana]

Just wanted to let you know that high nitrate level could do your star fish harm. Will look like its falling apart. Good luck! Hana

 

[sepulatian]

Alyssia. My Appologies, I did not meen to seem as though I was jumping down your throat. I was just unaware of the high salinity requirement. And It looks as though it were chopped. I still don't see how the salt content would do that. Slowly die yes, but not like this. Lion, No I have no live rock at all in my tank. I tested my nitrates today and they are under 40, still too high? Also installed the protein skimmer today. Well thanks everyone.