Starfish loosing it arm

[tileguy1988]

I have a starfish and it has droped one of its arms. The arm it droped is slowly moving around my tank. Does anyone know what is going on? Is the arm alive or just trying to freek me out?

[Rbacchiega]

I have a starfish and it has droped one of its arms. The arm it droped is slowly moving around my tank. Does anyone know what is going on? Is the arm alive or just trying to freek me out?

Starfish are known to drop limbs and then the limbs will "grow" new starfish...it's really neat to see actually...and the main dude that lost an arm will regrow it. I'd look around and figure out why he dropped a limb though...was something picking on it? did it have a run in with a powerhead??

[gobytron]

often, a starfish that is starving to death will disintegrate arm by arm...

what kind of starfish do you have, how old is your system and how much LR in your display?

[365seasons]

The same thing happened to my sand sifting starfish when we first got our system. after him being healthy for months, he just lost arm by arm. =(

Is yours a sandsifter?

If so, I hear it's common they just eventually eat up all the fauna and what not in the sand, and starve. Do you have a deep sandbed?

[gobytron]

starfish don't belong in anything but the most established systems...

there is some success stories out there of tem in new systems, but they are the exception, not the rule...

my blue linckia is on it's 4th year now.
I had a red fromia...but it starved to death, slowly and I would imagine, painfully.

[Madreefer]

Same thing happened to me when i first started out. Twice actually, due to not doing some research. Sorry to say but it sounds to me like it's starving to death.

[tileguy1988]

I had a 66 gal with about 50 lbs of live rock which was very established and in april I upgraded to a 90 gal and about 2 weeks ago I moved everything over to a 120 gal. I had it running for about 2 weeks before I did the move. I added about 80 lbs of live rock from established tanks to the 120 before I moved the fish. The star fish is about 3 inches it is gray with blue tips can't remember it name. it is not a sand sifter. It is always on the rock. The weird thing is the leg that came off is moving around in the tank. If my star fish is starving what do I feed it?

[gobytron]

Most starfish have relatively specialized diets and there is a fair amount of mystery as o what many of them actually need to survive.

Thats why the general rule is that they are more for very established systems...

any time you move or upgrade a tank, you force it to begin to reestablish the delicate life cycle of the mocro flora and fauna that will provide natural diet for many organisms like starfish.


Long story short, if your starfish is starving and not injured, there isn't much you can do, especially without knowing what species you have.

[tileguy1988]

Thanks for the info. Wish the pet store would have said something about that. Hate to see it starve to death.
Gord

[gobytron]

gord...
you are always better of to do a little due diligence of your own, most LFS, regardless of who they are are just trying to make a living.

[KPG007]

If you have the same one as I have, you're fine. I forget the name, but mine is very similar to the one called a 'Dalmation Linckia Star' off of this site (http://www.aquacon.com/starfish.html). My guy looses arms on occasion too, but it's nothing to do with starving. Because of their size (about 2-3 inches accross with skinny arms) they can get enough food in an aquarium.

I had a 66 gal with about 50 lbs of live rock which was very established and in april I upgraded to a 90 gal and about 2 weeks ago I moved everything over to a 120 gal. I had it running for about 2 weeks before I did the move. I added about 80 lbs of live rock from established tanks to the 120 before I moved the fish. The star fish is about 3 inches it is gray with blue tips can't remember it name. it is not a sand sifter. It is always on the rock. The weird thing is the leg that came off is moving around in the tank. If my star fish is starving what do I feed it?

[tileguy1988]

That is what mine looks like except mine is gray and white with blue tips. Thanks for the info. Glad it will be ok
Gord

[Myka]

That is what mine looks like except mine is gray and white with blue tips. Thanks for the info. Glad it will be ok
Gord

It probably won't be ok, but there is a chance it will be. How big is your tank? How old is your tank? Do you have any other starfish?

Echinoderms in Aquaria by Ronald L. Shimek (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rs/index.php)

[gobytron]

If you have the same one as I have, you're fine. I forget the name, but mine is very similar to the one called a 'Dalmation Linckia Star' off of this site (http://www.aquacon.com/starfish.html). My guy looses arms on occasion too, but it's nothing to do with starving. Because of their size (about 2-3 inches accross with skinny arms) they can get enough food in an aquarium.

No offence, but if you don't know what species, how can you have any idea what diet is necessary for it so survive?

How do you know that your specimens loss of limbs isn't related to a dietary deficiency?

Plus, without knowing how your two systems compare, how can you offer any reassurance to someone else?

just an FYI, it often takes a year or more for death by starvation...
took my red fromia about 14 month.