Help with chocolate star fish

[jlewi]

 

[Tahoe61]

Start with water chemistry, SG, Temp, pH, Ca......
How old is the tank? How long have you had the starfish? Do you feed it?

 

[jlewi]

3 months starfish for about two temp is 81 Specific Gravity is 1.023 he comes to the top and i put food on it and was fine until like about a week ago

 

[Tahoe61]

How are you measuring SG? I would try to maintain an SG of 1.025 if you're going to house inverts like star fish.
Raise the SG over the course of a couple of days.

What type of food?

You're going to need to test for nitrates and other chemistry at some point.

When star fish begin to fall apart you need to intervene asap.

 

[footballdude2k3]

Do you have any harlequin shrimp?

 

[Humblefish]

Typically when starfish "melt away" like that they are starving. Back when I kept CC stars, I would feed them raw shrimp at least once a week. Like most starfish, they have voracious appetites.

 

[Keith_0011]

I would tend to agree from the picture that the star looks thin. I have always fed mine at least 2-3 times a week to keep them from eating EVERYTHING. Including bubble tip anemones.

I would also agree on checking nitrates especially.

Have you had any large system parameter changes recently? pH swing? salinity swing? alkalinity swing? temperature swing? I have seen similar situations from levels changing too quickly from even just a small water change.

It does look like only one arm is damaged...is something eating it? Large crab?

 

[4FordFamily]

Do you have any harlequin shrimp?

THIS!

Some shrimp love to nibble on starfish.

I have never owned chocolate chip star fish, but I've never fed any of my stars, either. I have avoided chocolate chips because they're not reef safe but I suspect that makes their dietary requirements different hence the need to feed them.

 

[Tahoe61]

Typically you only have Harlequin Shrimp if you're feeding one. It's not like they are common hitch-hikers, they eat star fish, it's what Harlequin do. I am inclined to think the issue is water chemistry and a young tank, or improper supplemental feedings.

 

[4FordFamily]

Typically you only have Harlequin Shrimp if you're feeding one. It's not like they are common hitch-hikers, they eat star fish, it's what Harlequin do. I am inclined to think the issue is water chemistry and a young tank, or improper supplemental feedings.

It's what they do - reminded me of geico commercials.

Anyway, harlequin could stay alive eating asterina Stars potentially undetected..