Injured starfish, what can I do?

[vaguelyreeflike]

So our pencil urchin got a hold of our blue linckia starfish the other day. The urchin is now in a different tank but the area he was nibbled is looking infected now?
Is there anything I can do other than water changes and keeping the tank clean?

The water right now has a lot of floating debris due me just moving all the gravel and our sand sifter goby

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

[HASH=55964]#fishmedic[/HASH]

 

[fishguy242]

hi, I would make clean razor cut just behind damage on leg.
feed well,hope for the best

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

hi, I would make clean razor cut just behind damage on leg.
feed well,hope for the best

Thank you! I was considering amputating but didnt want to cause more damage but if its the best course of action then I will.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

update: yesterday I made the cut with a brand new razor, very clean single chop. He’s still alive today and it doesn’t look infected. I also moved him to a cleaner system so I think that helped a little. I hope he makes it

 

[fishguy242]

you say "cleaner system" how is food supply ? algae in general ?

 

[Stomatopods17]

That's best left in the previous system. They eat film algae and maybe sponge, both of which only an established system would have, it could starve in a 'cleaner system' I wouldn't worry about infection any differently, if it was infected the bacteria is already growing on it, it'd be better to let nature take its course there cause now swapping it back can also stress it out. Sea stars amputate limps and regrow them all the time, its why we can sustain harlequin shrimp off the rotation method of cutting off arms and letting them regrow pretty consistently.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

you say "cleaner system" how is food supply ? algae in general ?

By cleaner system I just mean less floating material in the water column, same amount of film algaes and such for it to eat. Just wanted to avoid more infection from debris going into the wound