Serpent star injured

[Matt Miller]

I tried to get a good pic but this is the best I could do. It looks like it's missing a big chunk at the base of an arm, into the main body. I noticed it a couple days ago and it still seems to be moving around and hiding.

Should I just try to keep an eye on it? There's nothing I know of in the tank that would bite it, I've had a striped serpent star in the tank for 1-2 months without problem.

 

[wkscott]

Do you have any hermits or other crabs or shrimp in the tank? What about urchins?

 

[Matt Miller]

Do you have any hermits or other crabs or shrimp in the tank? What about urchins?

All of the above. Lots of hermits, all sizes. 5 emeralds, 1 cleaner shrimp and 1 giant urchin.

 

[wkscott]

All of the above. Lots of hermits, all sizes. 5 emeralds, 1 cleaner shrimp and 1 giant urchin.

Besides the cleaner shrimp, all of the others could be suspect. (My guess are the much maligned emeralds.) Most would probably not attack a healthy star, but they are all opportunistic feeders and if they found a small open wound on the star, they may have gone for the easy meal. Stars have strong regenerative power and as long as not too much of the central disk is damaged, the star could recover. You may want to isolate him, like in your sump, until he heals. This will prevent the culprit(s) from picking on him. If you do move him, make sure not to expose him to the air during the transfer.

 

[Matt Miller]

Besides the cleaner shrimp, all of the others could be suspect. (My guess are the much maligned emeralds.) Most would probably not attack a healthy star, but they are all opportunistic feeders and if they found a small open wound on the star, they may have gone for the easy meal. Stars have strong regenerative power and as long as not too much of the central disk is damaged, the star could recover. You may want to isolate him, like in your sump, until he heals. This will prevent the culprit(s) from picking on him. If you do move him, make sure not to expose him to the air during the transfer.

Thx, I'm dealing with hair algae problems, that's why I got the emeralds.

I do like the idea of moving it to the sump so I will definitely consider that, thanks!