Brittle sea star legs are gone HELP ME!!!!!!

[lbaier]

first it lost a bit if it's one leg thing. it always hid between rocks so i assumed it was fine, just lookingin the tank today all the legs are are gone except for 2 stumps. IT"S STILL MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how can i help it! is it not getting enough food??????

 

[fire goby]

ms?

is there mantis shrimp in our tank?

 

[lbaier]

yes, is that what ate it? we have it in a quarintine, do you think it can heal itself that much?

 

[42jeff]

Same problem here...

...only it seemed the tips of the legs started turning white and all the ...um...toes? ... under each leg started falling off. This morning two of its legs were missing about an inch long piece each.

We've had it in the tank for just about two weeks now. Not acclimated? Diet problems? Oxygen?

Tested the tank Saturday for these results: PH-8.2 Temp-75 Sal-1.021
Nitrites as close to 0 as I've ever seen it. Ammonia between 0 and .25 with Nitrates pushing 20.

Other than losing its limbs it seems well. It's gotten increasingly active over the past few days but then today those stinkin legs fall off.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Please?

 

[quarryshark]

I would retest the water with another kit to make sure, but ammonia and nitrite have to be 0. Stars like this and other inverts are intolerant of anything but 0 ammonia and nitrite.
I have a brittle that lost several leg soon after we brought him home. They all grew back with time. If he is having trouble eating, perhaps leaving him in the qt tank and target feeding for a while will pull him through. No worries, his limbs will grow back. it an amazing thing.

 

[portion]

?

my starfish lost its 2 legs today?
would they grow back??
what causes this?
what will happen to the legs that are broken of??

 

[snapcrackler]

Do you have any crabs in your tank like big clinging type crabs? They love to eat starfish and clip thier legs off.

 

[portion]

hermit crabs?

those would attack them?

 

[portion]

i have hermit crabs for the algae
small though
but my starfish are the red ones
that stick to the glass
the crabs cant get to them

 

[Guest]

 

[GrannyReefer]

I got two Harliquin Shrimp I started reading on the proper care/diet etc. for these cute little things I found out that their diet consisted of Star Fish!!!! I have since lost my Brittle Star Fish first he lost his legs, piece at a time and I actually saw one of the shrimp pulling at the star fish leg as if he was having lunch. How I wish I knew when I go into a LFS how the different things would or would not react together in a tank.

 

[GrannyReefer]

I got two Harliquin Shrimp I started reading on the proper care/diet etc. for these cute little things I found out that their diet consisted of Star Fish!!!! I have since lost my Brittle Star Fish first he lost his legs, piece at a time and I actually saw one of the shrimp pulling at the star fish leg as if he was having lunch. How I wish I knew when I go into a LFS how the different things would or would not react together in a tank.