Question On A Orange Serpent Star
- Thread starter amanda71
- Start date
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simm
Guest
Poor water quality will cause this. Rapid fluctuation in PH will cause it as well. Whats your water params?
richard rendos
Active Member
Not unless there is a problem. I would check pH, specific gravity, and ammonia, etc. I believe stars do better at specific gravity's around 1.025. pH should be around 8.2-8.4, and ammonia, nitrite should be zero, and nitrate should be 20 ppm or less. If these test good, maybe you have a crab or fish that is preying on him.
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daniel411
Guest
The legs will grow back with time and proper conditions for the water. If the ammonia and nitrite are still more than zero, I'd deffinately take it out and place it in another tank.
richard rendos
Active Member
Keep in mind when buying new starfish or moving them to other tanks...starfish require a very slow acclimation. I acclimate mine by putting them in a bucket with water from the tank where the starfish is (or bag water if a new purchase) and slowly drip water through an airline tube from the new tank to the bucket. I drip mine for about 2 hours. After the first hour, I pour about half of the water out of the bucket. This will help to ensure the starfish's health when transferring.
If the ammonia and nitrite are high, how long has the tank been set up...it sounds like it is still cycling. I would not suggest adding any inverts (especially stars) until the tank has completely finihed cycling and all water parameters are stable.
If the ammonia and nitrite are high, how long has the tank been set up...it sounds like it is still cycling. I would not suggest adding any inverts (especially stars) until the tank has completely finihed cycling and all water parameters are stable.
richard rendos
Active Member
your sisters did the same...added a starfish during the cycle?...if so, they got EXTREMELY LUCKY!!!
ophiura
Active Member
As noted, this is very very bad, especially if it is the star that I am thinking of...
They need mature tanks with the parameters noted by Richard above. Anything else is a very bad and stressful situation for them. Depending on the species, it may not survive. The stress can also be due to acclimation to another system, even one with good conditions. If the acclimation is too quick, it will go into shock, and lose legs like this. Ultimately, it may lose them all the way to the disk, meaning the animal will have trouble moving and feeding. Then the disk may begin to disintegrate too
In short, this signs are not good. You can try moving it to a tank with pristine water conditions, especially good specific gravity, pH and alk, but the acclimation must be slow...perhaps even 4 hours using a drip acclimation. Throwing it in another tank will probably speed up its death...however, it is unlikely to survive in the current situation either.
If water conditions improve, it may regrow the arms, but if the damage is too much, it will not survive. If it does survive, it will need to be fed, and the water quality must be kept pristine. However, watch for any changes during water changes...they can go into shock easily and are not recommended for younger tanks.
They need mature tanks with the parameters noted by Richard above. Anything else is a very bad and stressful situation for them. Depending on the species, it may not survive. The stress can also be due to acclimation to another system, even one with good conditions. If the acclimation is too quick, it will go into shock, and lose legs like this. Ultimately, it may lose them all the way to the disk, meaning the animal will have trouble moving and feeding. Then the disk may begin to disintegrate too
In short, this signs are not good. You can try moving it to a tank with pristine water conditions, especially good specific gravity, pH and alk, but the acclimation must be slow...perhaps even 4 hours using a drip acclimation. Throwing it in another tank will probably speed up its death...however, it is unlikely to survive in the current situation either.
If water conditions improve, it may regrow the arms, but if the damage is too much, it will not survive. If it does survive, it will need to be fed, and the water quality must be kept pristine. However, watch for any changes during water changes...they can go into shock easily and are not recommended for younger tanks.
ktoledo
Member
thank you for your replys on my starfish. unfortunatley by the time i got home last night, he was really bad. He was only going on 2 legs and his disk was starting to tear apart as well. There was some stringy stuff all over my tank, i'm assuming form the tear of the legs. Do you think my other fish will be ok? They are just damsels.
richard rendos
Active Member
Did you remove him? I would remove the star from the tank to make sure it does not foul the water for the other inhabitants.