What could eat a starfish ???

[wesam swailem]

Good day all,
i have a red starfish from the red sea directly , it is a 10 months now in the aquarium but 2 days ago i found that 2 of their legs are chopped .

i have
1 sohal
2 clowns
2 cromies
yellow belly damsel
2 cleaning shrimps

thanks from Egypt

 

[Corailline]

IME starfish can loose their legs if they are slowly starving. How big is the system and what is the age of the tank.?

 

[Val]

a change in salinity or an ammonia spike, nitrites or nitrates can also adversely affect a star fish.

 

[GrendelPrime]

could also be some type of hitchhiker eating the star

 

[IXL]

Just a throught ,

Harlequin shrimp... It will eat starfish by starting at the tip of the arm and working its way to the central disc. The starfish may dettached itself from the arm & takes it's loss.

Now even tho u don't have one of those shrimp it could be possible that GrendelPrime could be correct. Something is attacking it and its taking the lost by removing itself from the arm?

I'm just trying ot make a connection from what I've read in the past...

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

IME starfish can loose their legs if they are slowly starving

+1 ^

 

[GrendelPrime]

if that was the case the arms would be more of a rotting disintigration then just waking up and noticing 2 arms are gone..was it a gradual loss of leggs or were the leggs just gone?

 

[wesam swailem]

Thanks allot all

my tank is gallons and months old.

i think it has nothing to do with ammonia nor salinity as i dont have problems there.

the legs are nipped from the ends not gone..
can a crab do so because the life rock i used were all picked by myself from the red sea and for sure they have all kinds of creatures as i caught a 3 pistols and a mantis 3 months ago

 

[GrendelPrime]

sounds to me like something is eating the leggs, i would keep a close on on the star especialy after the lights are out and see if anything is munching on it

 

[michaljohn]

A starfish eats its stomach when it is unable to find its natural lings of food.... It also eats up its wee little tongue to prevent any illnesses caused by the missing of its tummy..

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[michaljohn]

A starfish eats its stomach when it is unable to find its natural lings of food.... It also eats up its wee little tongue to prevent any illnesses caused by the missing of its tummy