Red General Star HELP!

[zeroghd]

I have a 150g FOWLR and have a recently new Red General Star that is refusing to eat. I fed him scallop when I first got him @ 3 weeks ago and he ate fine then. I tried feeding him a few days later and he refused a scallop so I gave him a piece of shrimp and he ate that ok. Now, the past week and a half he has refused everything I try to give him. The guy at the lfs just said to keep an eye on him as long as he is moving around(which he has been) he will probably fine. He asked if happeared to be deteriating. Until today he hadn't. I get home today and one of his arms has turned pinkish in color and fits his description of deteriation. My water quality has checked out good. My nitrates just hit the 20ppm mark so I know it's time for a water change. My Bahama star is a pig and eats everything in site. I don't have to spot feed him as much since he eats every snail he comes across. This is my first experience with stars and I thought he would be a hearty first star. What should I do to make him better?

 

[ophiura]

Can you please post specifics on your water parameters? What is fine for fish can be fatal for these stars. How did you acclimate it?
Acclimation shock usually set in within a month of introduction.
The specific gravity is especially critical.

 

[zeroghd]

Drip method, If I remember right @2 1/2 hours.
Phosphates 0
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
pH 8.2
s.g. 1.024
temp.@82 deg F
Is the temp. too high? I am looking into getting a chiller. I am worried about the temp getting too high. I think it will help when I get my lights a little more elevated and get some fans on them. I am in the process of building a canopy top to accomodate this.
If it is acclimation shock, is it possible for them to come out ok?

 

[psusocr1]

bump your salinity to 26.. it may seem liek a sall change to you but a huge change to a starfish.. also if your using a hydrometer do yourself a favor and get a refractometer because those hydrometers are junk and what you may think is 24 may only be 22

 

[puffer32]

Stars should be acclaimated for 3 or 4 hrs also.

 

[zeroghd]

I'll bump the salinity up. Do you think he will recover?

 

[promisetbg]

Do not raise the SG up at once, do this slowly. Salinity should be 35, not 26. SG. should be 1.025 using a refractometer. It is'nt that far off, assuming this is an accurate reading. I would tend more towards acclimation shock, and the fact that inverts cannot handle nitrates at 20.

 

[psusocr1]

promise
cant you explain mroe what you justs aid about the slinity shoul dbe 35 not 26??
i think i may be reading your comment wrong

 

[promisetbg]

Well you cannot say salinity should be 26, it should be 34-35 PPT{parts per thousand} or a SG.{specific gravity} of 1.025-1.026.

 

[ophiura]

The confusion stems from the habit in this hobby of using "salinity" and "specific gravity" interchangeably. This becomes an issue when people abbreviate the specific gravity to just the last numbers, like 24. This is very very different from a salinity of 24, which would be quite low.

 

[zeroghd]

Well he is loosing the arm that changed colors on him. I understand they can regenerate limbs, but if this is from shock will this still happen, or will he even survive? I am going to be raising the s.g. by topping off with salt water 'till it hits the mark I'm looking for. Hopefully this will be slow enough.