Wrasse ate my starfish

[lilbitreefer]

just saw my sandsifting starfish with a missing leg. whats the likleyhood my wrasses bit it off? Or did it just decide to reproduce. I heard SF will break off appendages to reproduce.

 

[Best Fish-Jake]

Any pics? What kind of wrasse is it? What else is in the tank? I don’t believe stars are able to reproduce by dropping arms.. A mouth is required for them to eat/ survive.

Only larger, fairly hungry wrasse would be enticed to go after a SS star.. more than likely it was another invertebrate that took the arm off.. I’m guessing some larger crab.

 

[Diesel]

Have any crabs or harlequin shrimp?

 

[lilbitreefer]

I have a tiger pistol shrimp but he lives on the other side of the tank from where I found my SF. I think I have an emerald crab ut I havent seen him since I threw him in the tank a year or so ago.

 

[Diesel]

Normally wrasses won't touch your SS.
What about pumps?
Your circlelation pumps, is it possible that one of his arm got stuck in there?

 

[lilbitreefer]

I attach what my starfish and wrasse look like now

 

[eatbreakfast]

Green coris wrasses aren't great with inverts, but they won't eat a sand sifting starfish like that.

Sand sifting stars don't reproduce through asexual division.

If a starfish is starving they will consume their arms from the inside out one arm at a time.