What wrong with my star!?!?!

[Fishgirl]

Help!! I noticed this morning that my linkia star has a bubble on it's leg. My first thought was salinity burn. When we moved of course I couldn't save ALL the water but I got 80% so I needed to add salt and my husband did it. He usually helps me out and does a good job but I think it went up too much too fast. It's at .023 right now (whichi is higher than I normally like it). I just went over and took some pictures to post. I am so worried! Is there any treatment for him? Would a hospital tank with a lower salinity help? Is it even what I think it is?

Oh if you are wondering I didn't ever expose him to air. I put him in a bag under the water and let him loose under the water. I did even add water to his bag to get him used to it. My serpant starfish seem to be doing fine. I have had this star for over 6 months with no problems. I don't want to loose him now.

Gina

 

[fishfreek]

Fishgirl,

I took your post over to another forum to get some advice and this is what I got.

First let me say that I've never seen anything like that 'bubble' the picture shows. Usually symptoms of a 'sick' star are spots or disintegrating/rotting of the appendages. So....given that, the advice I can offer may or may not apply in this instance.

First off, what does this person usually keep their salinity at? 1.023 is too low for invertebrates. It should be at 1.025 at 80f. That could be one of the problems.

Second, I suspect, is the flux in salinity. These creatures are super-sensitive to abrupt changes in salinity, temp, pH, etc. This is why they need to be acclimated for up to 8 hours when newly introduced.

Did or didn't? I suspect they meant didn't. If they only saved 80% of the water, 20% was new, and then added salt - well...that's not a good thing. Linckia stars usually require drip acclimation to new water parameters.

I wish them best of luck - and like I said, the symptoms are not typical of the causes I described, so it may be something entirely different. I would also have them (or you) post the same question/pictures in the Ask Dr. Ron forum of ReefCentral.

If I think of or come across anything else, I'll post - and please let us know if you find out anything further. Oh - here's a great article on Linckias:

Sea Stars -- Linckia spp - Rob Toonen, Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine.

 

[Fishgirl]

Thank you FishFreek for doing that for me. It's too late, by mid-day he was dead. His legs fell off and then he just feel apart. It was horrible. I think it's all my fault with the salinty change to quickly. I was in a hurry to get that tank back togather. Live and learn I guess, I just feel bad that a star had to die because of it. I was aware that linkias are sensitive to salinity changes, I just had him so long I didn't think about it much anymore.

I never keep my salinity that high. .023 is about as high as I go and never had a problem till now. He lived very happliy in .021 for most of the year. I really think it was that salt I had to add for the water I couldn't save. Oh well, he was given a sad porcelian bowl funeral and now my tank isn't the same without him.

Thank you for trying, I do appreciate it. I just feel bad about it.

Gina

 

[fishfreek]

When you say you added salt I seem to get the impression it was added to the tank itself.

Thats not a good idea in general even for creatures that are not as sensitive to salitnity changes.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

 

[Fishgirl]

oh no I don't add the salt directly to the tank. I learned that from you guys a long time ago. I had it in a bucket of tank water dissolving for a while before I let the hubby add it a little at a tome. I should had did it, but I can't blame him, it's my fault for being tired and he was trying to help. I hit myself on the head now thinking about how I shoudl have slowly added the water with it's new salinity to the star's bag he was transported in. I just released him underwater not thinking at all. DOH! Sorry Starfish!!!!! Well in my own defense we had time getting that tank over here when we moved and I started to get really stressed about getting the salinty up from something like .014 to a descent level to get my fish out of those bags and new tuppware. I was stressed. I was freaknig out about moving the tank with the sand still in the bottom with as little or no water as possible. I was sure it was going to crack but we were really careful and kept it level and it didn't crack thank goodness.

Thank you for your condolenses. I feel a huge void in my tank now. :-(
I mostly feel bad that a creature had to die. oh well, can't dwell on it forever. We live and learn.

Gina