. . . Eating my Starfish ????

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Rockcrawler

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
37
Location
Central Coast California
Something is eating the legs off of my sand sifting starfish ???

I have hermit crabs, snails, a Banded Coral Shrimp, a Brown sided Tang and a few chromis'

75 gal Reef, 130# LR, the tanks has been going for 2 months now.

Every morning when I check the tank the Sand sifter is missing more of his legs, he only has 5 stubs now, something is eating it a little everynight ???

Will he regenerate the legs ????

ANY IDEAS, HELP?????
 
What are your water parimeter's? They can loose legs due to stress, and bad water conditions. Can you post your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph levels?

Also how long have you had it in the tank, and how did you acclimate it?
 
revhtree said:
What are your water parimeter's?

Also how long have you had it in the tank, and how did you acclimate it?

It has been in the tank one week.

My water is good - I had the LFS double check me and their only suggestion was maybe Bristle worm hitchhiker... but I am thinking it may be the hermits ??? We have removed the hermits to see if anything else gets to the sifter. I am hoping his legs grow back ???

Water = NO3 <10, PH 8.3

Acclimate the newbies in the plastic bag to equal temp, I test the bag water to make sure params are close, then add a little tank water to the bag, 30 mins, then into the tank all bag water goes down the drain not into the tank...

Thanks for any ideas you have . . .

:D
 
If it's the hermits doing the damage, the limbs will heal. I don't know how long you've had the star but, 30 min is aweful fast for acclimating. Most inverts are more sensitive to changes and need more time. I acclimate all my inverts for no less than two hours. Good luck with your SS, I hope he recovers.
 
Could be he's starving. When they do that, their bodies just wither away it seems. They start consuming their own body mass. Sand sticks to'm too. The crabs is only reacting to a dying creature and didn't kill the starfish IMO.

I just went thru 3 sand sifters in the last year. Happened just that way to me too. I'll try to dig up the thread that edumacated me.
 
Wow I would have never thought that it was starving. We had some of the left over diatom bloom from the tanks cycling and we thought the sand sifter would help clean that up

Like I said the tank is only 2 months old

I guess I was not clear enough on the acclimation process we do..

30 mins at each stage or 1 1/2 hours total before we drop the newbie into the tank

Our water has always been under control sofar (knock on wood) :lol:

I guess at this point is not the time for a sand sifter then >

Thanks folks for the info

:D
 
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