My Urchin is Eating my Starfish!

sacktheqb65

Active Member
I have an orange linkia starfish and he has been doing pretty well, and cruising all over my tank. A couple weeks ago, I noticed that he seemed to have some raggedy edges and one leg/arm seemed a little shorter than the others. I had assumed maybe he had been having some diet issues, so I started to spot feed him and he started to get healthy, then the same thing happened again and I really couldn't understand why he was is such bad shape....

This morning I found the answer...

My urchin is eating him! I watched the urchin crawl over the tip of hes leg and then sever it off. Is there anything I can do? Is this normal?
 

sacktheqb65

Active Member
I should point out that I have algae sheets and lots of coraline algae growing all over my tank (that I try to scrape because the urchin doesn't seem to eat it) so I wouldnt THINK that the urchin would be that hungry.
 
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nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
here a bump... do know I have read when stars go down hill they start losing legs... maybe the urchin just is responding to this... what type urchin is he?

maybe others can advise...
 

sacktheqb65

Active Member
I think its stalking the star...... crazy...

Its a purple urchin

I was hoping oxy would chime in, but i dont know how to tag!!!
 

sacktheqb65

Active Member
also, Glenn, the starfish hadnt lost any legs, the urchin just went and cut one off and within minutes that tip was gone... he had serious intentions...
 

nd200

Member
Weird... how is the starfish doing? Have you ever seen the urchin eat the Coraline algae? Maybe it was starving. But both the starfish and the urchin look healthy.
 

sacktheqb65

Active Member
Starfish seems to be ok... still working his way around the tank like usual, just a little less of him. I have not ever seen the urchin eating coraline or algae sheets for that matter, was just assuming he was eating the regular algae from the tank. He could be starving, but there is food for it to eat, he just seems to prefer starfish...
 

Finn

New Member
I have been searching around the web for an answer to this! Our pencil urchin attacked our starfish last night! We intervened and one of the star's arms was lodged pretty well into the urchins mouth. He literally attacked him and chomped down. The starfish has not budged since the rescue, and the urchin seemed to sulk for a while. The starfish is a new addition to the tank (2 hours before the attack). The pencil urchin is active and well fed. We are concerned.
 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Hope your starfish recovers !

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Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics :dance:
 

sacktheqb65

Active Member
I have come to the conclusion that I believe the urchin was starving. There were no signs and I have had algae sheets in the tank for some time now, probably for as long as the urchin has been in the tank, but over the last couple days the urchin has found the sheets and just stays right there in the area until its gone(i really wish he would clean the coraline off the glass!!!). I am not sure what took it so long to find the food or why it hadn't eaten it in the past, but my next question is will the starfish be ok? He seems to be moving around just fine, like nothing ever happened. Should I give it back to my LFS because the urchin will see it as food every time they pass???
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Pencil Urchins are NOT considered "reef compatible"
If you are keeping it in with corals & other smaller inverts....You better trade it back to the LFS for a reef safe Urchin like a Tuxedo maybe. :)
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
No I have a purple urchin which is supposed to be fine...
But purple pincushion urchins shouldn't be eating starfish :ponder2:....
They are considered "semi-aggressive" reef-safe with caution but are an herbivore so that is a mystery to me also.

I'm fixing to add a Tuxedo Urchin in hopes it will eat some nuscience algae.
Seems to be the safest of the urchin species from my reading on them.
 
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