Anyone know what is wrong with my chocolate chip sea star?

jamesgear111 · Mar 16, 2022

Hello! I am new to this site and am concerned about my choc sea star. I got him around 2-3 months ago and he was thriving ever since I put him in the tank. He was always moving around and I would feed him daily (store bought raw shrimp). Recently, he has become less active - still moves around the tank a bit but not on the glass and will randomly flare all or some of his arms up towards the sky. I have a FOWLR tank. He is definitely not dead but I'm scared he's dying and I don't know what to do. He doesn't have any white spots or any other symptoms of illness. Help! P.S. ignore the pebbles on him, my damsel fish loves to redecorate after I clean the tank.

jamesgear111 · Mar 16, 2022

for some reason it wont let me add pictures of him

kingjoe · Mar 16, 2022

jamesgear111 said:
Hello! I am new to this site and am concerned about my choc sea star. I got him around 2-3 months ago and he was thriving ever since I put him in the tank. He was always moving around and I would feed him daily (store bought raw shrimp). Recently, he has become less active - still moves around the tank a bit but not on the glass and will randomly flare all or some of his arms up towards the sky. I have a FOWLR tank. He is definitely not dead but I'm scared he's dying and I don't know what to do. He doesn't have any white spots or any other symptoms of illness. Help! P.S. ignore the pebbles on him, my damsel fish loves to redecorate after I clean the tank.

Have you tried feeding live clams? He probably needs them in his diet. I had one for years in a FOWLR tank that I would feed a grocery store clam to about twice a week.

Uncle99 · Mar 16, 2022

Starving, this star like many others consume food at a rapid rate and then just starve in reef aquaria.
Exception is brittle and serpent stars, these usually do well.