starfish star-ving?
- Thread starter fallinmor
- Start date
ophiura
Active Member
The problem is it is hard to tell. The first indication of a problem is usually that the arms start to fall off. They literally disintegrate. Other than that they may look fine.
It is hard to know exactly what you mean by seeing the ridge...if you look at this site you can see that there is a "ridge" on the undersurface of the arms which supports the tube feet. In a thin animal I think you might be able to see the impression of this on the upper surface.
http://www.biology.iastate.edu/Cours...terostINdx.htm
It is hard to know exactly what you mean by seeing the ridge...if you look at this site you can see that there is a "ridge" on the undersurface of the arms which supports the tube feet. In a thin animal I think you might be able to see the impression of this on the upper surface.
http://www.biology.iastate.edu/Cours...terostINdx.htm
bigb
Member
Here is a pic of a sandsifter starving. Notice how the tips of his arms are disentegrating. It starts with what looks like chunks missing here and there. This starfish is about a year and a half old(in tank). He had done this once before but not this bad. Success rate is low because they end up eating more than can reproduce in the sandbed. They also remove tons of beneficial criters in the sand bed. Yes, this was an impulse buy, I learned my lesson shortly after.
S
sinner's girl
Guest
when its dead it will have puffy, cotton candy-like white stuff on it
Or nothing will be left. My brittle had nothing but a small center disk left. The C.C. still left it's body though.
Try spot feeding the star, raw shrimp or seaweed, anything. Maybe you can add whatever it is he eats from the sand, or get more lr to produce stuff or add some new sand? Just thinking here. Or is there anything you can add to make the ls produce stuff?
Nevermind, I see where you said what kind of star it is, I've never had one, so I don't know. But it can't hurt to try to spot feed it, could it?
Or nothing will be left. My brittle had nothing but a small center disk left. The C.C. still left it's body though.
Try spot feeding the star, raw shrimp or seaweed, anything. Maybe you can add whatever it is he eats from the sand, or get more lr to produce stuff or add some new sand? Just thinking here. Or is there anything you can add to make the ls produce stuff?
Nevermind, I see where you said what kind of star it is, I've never had one, so I don't know. But it can't hurt to try to spot feed it, could it?
bigb
Member
Sandsifters are hit or miss with spot feeding. Some will some won't. The last time mine started deteriorating it took food. It wasn't this bad last time. Since it is usually buried, I didn't notice the problem til fallinmor asked for a pick. He regenerated last time so maybe I'll get lucky again?
fallinmor
Member
just a quick word i figured out what was wrong. the starfish just needed more sand, if anyone has one of these take my advice and put down at least 3 inches of fine grain sand like caribean white sand or bermuda pink sand. if the starfish can not hide it'self in the sand it gets very stressed and desperately searches for a hiding space. my tank had a layer of crushed coral and because i got a red scooter blenny i put down an inch of fine sand ( impulse buy my mother was paying and she like him so i got one). eventualy that inch fell thru the crushed coral and i had to put more down.