Something eating my sand sifting star??

[Perpetual Novice]

I have a friend setting up a 20 gallon tank. It was cycling with just snails and hermits for months. Then two days ago he added a couple clowns and a sand sifting star. Today he sent me this. What happened. It’s not totally dead year but I think he should throw it out now. Right?

 

[Cell]

I'm no starfish expert but they will grow back limbs. No clue what happened to it though. Don't some stars tear themselves when stressed or to propagate? Following to learn.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

It looks like it’s guts are coming out underneath

 

[Perpetual Novice]

Here is another photo he just sent me

 

[Cell]

Is it starving because the substrate is too coarse and/or not enough to food? Not sure a sand sifting star is recommend in a small tank.

 

[Cell]

I see an urchin that seems to have lost it's spines in the background of that pic as well and the star is sitting on a dead coral skeleton. How old is this tank? We need specific parameters, but the visuals are not good at all.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I see an urchin that seems to have lost it's spines in the background of that pic as well and the star is sitting on a dead coral skeleton. How old is this tank? We need specific parameters, but the visuals are not good at all.

I agree. I asked about the urchin and he assured me that it still moves around and has many translucent feet extended. The dead coral is rubble he added for “texture”

in asking him for more information I don’t think he took many precautions to keep the starfish from being exposed to air during acclimation. He drop acclimated for 30 minutes but then lifted the starfish into the air to put it in. Could that be the cause?

not sure what is up with the urchin. It has been in the tank for a couple months. It is a short spine urchin.

 

[Tahoe61]

I have a friend setting up a 20 gallon tank. It was cycling with just snails and hermits for months. Then two days ago he added a couple clowns and a sand sifting star. Today he sent me this. What happened. It’s not totally dead year but I think he should throw it out now. Right?

View attachment 1420545

And that is the answer. Tank is too young. Tell your friend to slow down and research prior and new purchases.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

And that is the answer. Tank is too young. Tell your friend to slow down and research prior and new purchases.

I have been since he started his tank 6 months ago and already crashed it once. I live hours away and it seems all I can do is help him clean up his mess when he calls me in a panic. Smh

 

[fishguy242]

hi going to sound bad ,only chance for that star is cut off legs 1/2 inch from center put plenty of flake food in tank will not spike ammonia,poss legs will survive urchin too ,decay is too close to mouth to survive,has nothing to do with air i move them around all the time ,good luck w your new tank

 

[Billdogg]

The star is a goner. I put it's chances of recovery at 0.0%. Even in a well established large (>120g) tank, they can easily strip the sandbed of all life. Then they starve to death. It is one of the several species of starfish that just do not do well in home aquariums and should therefore be left in the ocean by all but experienced aquarists with a system set up to sustain them long-term.

 

[Coral Reef Keepers]

It's starving to death and wasting away. I had one once that did the same thing. Got to the point where it had no legs at all and was just a body. Won't ever get one again.

 

[steallife904]

As said above it is starving and falling apart from stress. Will not make it. Stars and urchins should only go in well established larger tanks. I have 2 urchins and 1 sand star in my 150. They are about the only clean up crew I have, so plenty to eat. Had the urchins nearly 5 years and the star about 2.

 

[jd371]

You’ll be lucky to get a year out of starfish. The only ones that do well long term are brittle starfish.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I feel really bad because I actually recommended the sand sifting starfish. Not the urchin though (which seems to be dying slowly). I have one in both my 30 gal and 75 gal that I added about a year and a half ago when I was just starting out. They do a great job turning over the sandbed and I never had a problem even as a complete beginner. I thought they were a decent choice when he complained about algae developing on his substrate over time. I should have told him to add snails that bury instead.

Last night I instructed him to remove it from his tank and do a water change. That leaves one urchin, one serpent star, a small clown, a banggai cardinal, a royal gramma, 3 snails, and 3 hermits as the remaining occupants of his tank.

Should I tell him to remove the urchin before it dies and pollutes his water? Is it too far gone? I have never kept urchins (did not recommend for him) and use tangs, emerald crabs, rabbitfish, and snails as my algae control in my tanks instead.

 

[Cell]

Cant really recommend anything if we don't know his parameters. Based off what I've seen and heard I'd question if his tank is optimal for any animals at all.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I had him test his nitrate and ammonia last week. no ammonia and 20 ppm nitrate. He has now done two 5 gal water changes since then. I told him that he could probably add a pair of tiny clowns, a royal gramma, or a cardinal. Instead, he bought all 3 plus the starfish. I also instructed him not to feed his tank until he facetimes me tonight and I can carefully walk him through the appropriate amount of food.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I believe overfeeding is what caused his tank to crash 3 months ago. it wiped out everything he had.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

[/QUOTE]

It's starving to death and wasting away. I had one once that did the same thing. Got to the point where it had no legs at all and was just a body. Won't ever get one again.

As said above it is starving and falling apart from stress. Will not make it. Stars and urchins should only go in well established larger tanks. I have 2 urchins and 1 sand star in my 150. They are about the only clean up crew I have, so plenty to eat. Had the urchins nearly 5 years and the star about 2.

You’ll be lucky to get a year out of starfish. The only ones that do well long term are brittle starfish.

^^^