Spotted mandarin

[MarineCorp]

Hi All,

I recently bought a spotted mandarin, he/she is eating fine even though I’ve only had it a week (seen it eat frozen food at the LFS). I noticed today something has been chewing at my sand sifting starfish (his leg was practically dangling off with the spotted close by) just wondering if the spotted would chew at the starfish? He is housed with two Ocellaris clowns and 2 blue-green chromis all of small size and peaceful (for now lol)

Also should I now quarantine the starfish and seperate him from the threat? Might be a common sense question but I just have to ask.

Thanks

 

[Paul B]

Your mandarin is not eating your starfish. Maybe bristle worms. The only creature I know of that eats starfish is Harliquin shrimp and I don't think you have any.
Of course your star may have some sort of infection.
Most of the starfish disappeared on the east coast of the US from a bacterial infection

 

[MarineCorp]

Your mandarin is not eating your starfish. Maybe bristle worms. The only creature I know of that eats starfish is Harliquin shrimp and I don't think you have any.
Of course your star may have some sort of infection.
Most of the starfish disappeared on the east coast of the US from a bacterial infection

Yes I think your right, a bristle worm is the cause it looked like he was fighting something and I noticed a bristle worm was on top of him. I had to use a flashlight once the lights were out to catch what was going on.

 

[Maritimer]

It sounds as though your sand-sifter may be dying ... sea-stars often do, and as they do, they kind of ... fall apart. The smell of decaying flesh is attractive to 'pods, which are scavenging, and the 'pods are attractive to the mandarin.

~Bruce

 

[MarineCorp]

It sounds as though your sand-sifter may be dying ... sea-stars often do, and as they do, they kind of ... fall apart. The smell of decaying flesh is attractive to 'pods, which are scavenging, and the 'pods are attractive to the mandarin.

~Bruce

That definitely makes sense, thank you!