Starfish Help!!!!

[willie1983]

Tonight i walked down stairs to see my chocolate chip starfish eating my black tip red starfish, I quickly grabbed the chocolate chip starfish off and looked at my black tip and he looked like he was nawed on a couple of its arms what can I do to save it or rehab it should I put it in my qt tank? Any suggestions will be appreciated

 

[mikesmith34]

He will grow new arms I believe. Put him in the fuge maybe to recover

 

[jennm]

It's a maybe on the injured sea star recovering.

Chocolate chips aren't reef safe, they'll eat corals. If it's eating another sea star, it's hungry. Are you giving it any meaty foods?

Jenn

 

[willie1983]

Yes I feed it shrimp every other day maybe I was a little late last night due to Christmas decorations

 

[jennm]

They don't need a 'schedule' since in the wild their search for food is random. Perhaps not feeding it enough at a time? Those things can be voracious.

What kind of star was the victim? I haven't heard of a black tip red star. Chocolate chips aren't the fastest movers, if it caught the other star, there's a good chance that it was sick/dying and the chocolate chip was doing a cleanup.

Jenn

 

[willie1983]

It's a blacktip fromia im thinking from my research

 

[jennm]

Fromia, OK. How long have you had it?

 

[willie1983]

JennM;1001018 wrote: Fromia, OK. How long have you had it?

6months atleast the chocolate chip is the new addition maybe a month or so

 

[jennm]

OK, that likely rules out a health issue with the Fromia unless you had a parameter swing lately. Chocolate chips are about bulletproof, but Fromias are pretty delicate. I've never seen a star eat another star, but scavengers will eat the dead/dying, regardless of what it is.

If the Fromia is damaged it's unlikely to survive, unfortunately.

Jenn

 

[mcphock]

JennM;1001040 wrote:

If the Fromia is damaged it's unlikely to survive, unfortunately.

Jenn

This is my thought too. Sea stars fairly delicate as far hobby creatures go. Once they decline, its almost assuredly the end. Sorry to repeat that bad news.

 

[jennm]

Well some species will regenerate. I've seen ONE Fromia regenerate. Came in to me in pH shock and mostly melted down within a couple of days... except for 2 legs that got up and walked away. One didn't make it but a few days, the other actually started to regrow, and once it had little nubs for new legs, I gave it to a client of mine who is a science teacher, for his classroom tank. The legs that didn't melt had a bit of body disc left, enough to start a new creature.

Asterina sp. reproduce by tearing themselves in half and regrowing, that's why they multiply like crazy.

Jenn

 

[willie1983]

Ok jenn well as of now he's moving around normally so I'll watch him daily

 

[willie1983]

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here's a picture

 

[jennm]

He got munched pretty badly. Best case, he loses the legs and heals up. Worst case... infection. Unfortunately there isn't anything you can really do for it. I'd put that chocolate chip in another tank or in the sump or back to the LFS

 

[willie1983]

JennM;1001079 wrote: He got munched pretty badly. Best case, he loses the legs and heals up. Worst case... infection. Unfortunately there isn't anything you can really do for it. I'd put that chocolate chip in another tank or in the sump or back to the LFS

Ok maybe I'll put the black tip in my qt tank do I need to add meds to the qt?

 

[jennm]

No meds.

 

[willie1983]

JennM;1001087 wrote: No meds.

Ok I'll grab him later and throw him in thanks for the info Jenn hopefully he'll pull thru

 

[jennm]

Hope so! Let us know how it goes.

 

[willie1983]

JennM;1001103 wrote: Hope so! Let us know how it goes.

Will do