HELP! Is my starfish dead?

[Kristina]

I just got a chocolate chip starfish for my tank, it’s supposed to be salt water but I got fresh water salt by accident, I put him in and he isn’t moving, his arms a curled up and he’s a bit stiff. The temperature is normal and so I the pH level. I flipped him upside down and he’s not moving i gave him food and he’s not moving. I waited 3 hours and he’s still not moving. Is he dead? What do I do?

 

[DaveK]

Most likely it's dead. Remove it from the tank and discard it. Starfish will usually hold on to something if they are healthy. As a note, a dead starfish can foul a tank very quickly.

If by fresh water salt, you bought what is known as aquarium salt, and use that to set up your tank, your going to need to tear down the tank and start all over, this time using the correct salt.

In the future, when posting about water parameters, please post exact readings. Statements such as "The temperature is normal and so I the pH level." do not convey any information. What seems normal to you might indicate a serious problem to someone else.