How do I know if my starfish is dead??

[mgan9311]

Hello,

I'm new here. I just got my first saltwater tank 1 1/2 weeks ago. It came with a blue starfish. I noticed that the starfish had a "pinch" in one of its legs and was getting deeper. His name is Mr. Spock. Anyway, yesterday he was all over the tank on the glass, the live rock, etc. and seemed fine and normal, maybe just moving around a but more than usual. This morning when I woke up, he leg (where the pinch was) was off and covered in white stuff, looks like calcium deposits(?), maybe, not sure. His body was sucker side down in the sand and the part of his leg where it fell off....the meat inside hanging out was peeled back and split open, like it was decaying already. I am assuming he's dead. He didn't move. Was hard as a rock, like rigor had already set in. I have no fish in my tank. Just live rock, a few corals, urchin, and hermit crabs. What do I do? He's dead???

Thanks...

mgan9311

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

Sounds like he is dead or might soon be... sorry to say.

Is your new tank only 1 1/2 weeks old? If so have you "cycled" your tank?

Here a couple very good

Just exactly what is a 'cycled' tank

The Mature Aquarium

[Eric]

Sounds like a blue linkia starfish and if that is the case they are very hard to keep in an established mature tank much less a 12 day old setup or recently moved setup.

You said it came with the tank so I am assuming you bought it complete and moved it, when you move a tank you need to let it cycle out once again like a fresh setup.

Linkia's die slowly losing legs over the course of a few days, if that is the case you can write it off as a lesson learned.

[mgan9311]

I purchased the tank, complete with inverts, from a friend. He's had it for over 3 years and has moved it 3 or 4 times. He says he's never had a problem. I followed his directions exactly when I moved it to my place. I've monitored the chemical profile consistency from Day 1...

Average Chemical Profile from Day 1
ammonia = 0 ppm
nitrite = 0 ppm
nitrate = 0 ppm
pH = 8.2-8.4
specific gravity = 1.021-1.022
ave. temp = 78-80°F
calcium = 420 ppm
dkH = 19+ (hard water)
phosphate = currently 1.0 and declining (just added this test this past weekend....assuming phosphate content was much higher before adding phosphate remover)

I have no idea what kind of starfish he was other than the fact he was blue and could be purchased at a local store. I'm sad to see him go.

I just witnessed the sea urchin (named Bones) attempt to eat one of my hermit crabs (a member of Kool and the Gang). I have 6 of them....or rather 5 now...one is missing. The one that was attacked made it through and is only missing a leg now.

[Eric]

Google blue linkia starfish, I'm not sure if I remember correctly but I believe if they are exposed to air in transport or transfer from container to tank that can kill them as well.

[GrendelPrime]

if u moved the tank from 1 house to another u should expect a mini cycle especialy if there is a sand bed in the tank, and if the star fish is melting i would get rid of him before he adds to the ammonia, and i would also test everyday and see if ur still stable, what kind of filtration system do u have on the tank?

[nanoreefing4fun]

Couple more elements to consider... for a healthy tank.

What kind of chemical filtration are you using? Is it fresh?

How often are you doing water changes & in what %?

this good article

Echinoderms in Aquaria... by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

also are you sure of what salinity he was kept at? seems low...

1.025-1.026 more normal I think... I know they are particularly sensitive to changes in salinity

[mgan9311]

I have two new Aqueon Power Filter 40's..together they cycle 400+ gallons per hour. There was some original saltwater in the tank along with the live sand...so basically it was a majority water change. The live rock and inverts were kept in buckets that contained original salt water....so about 10-20 gallons remained as original salt water...the rest was replacement.

I am not using a protein skimmer at this time. A guy at an aquarium store said I didn't need one, since I didn't have any fish.

I think he kept the salinity at 1.024 and said not to go above it. My salinity is lower because I had never made salt water before and it was too high when I made it according to the directions on the package. The total volume ended up being a bit lower than I expected. Still haven't figured out how to adjust the salinity without killing anything. I haven't done any water changes yet because I actually need to add freshwater due to evaporation...but then the salinity will go back down. Any suggestions??

[GrendelPrime]

yeah the more evaporation u have the higher the salinity will go cause salt dosent evaporate so adding fresh water will drop the salinity and when u get ready to start doing water changes after u mix the salt in the water keep a power head in the mixing container to keep the water circulating and wait a few hrs to make sure all the salt mixed and test the salinity and adjust the lvl if u have to

[nanoreefing4fun]

just a guess... but if he was at 1.024 & then in 1.021 the change to the new tank & all... this is a good guess as to what happened to him...

to raise your salinity... top-off with ro/di saltwater... until you get to 1.025 ... is what I would recommend.

Get a refractometer to check your salinity - if you don't have one

Marine Aquarium Water Quality: How to Maintain Proper Specific Gravity

Saltwater Aquarium Salinity & Specific Gravity Testing: Portable Refractometer

[mgan9311]

Okay, thanks! I will try that!!

[ReeferMan420]

that water seems a bit hard too....do you use RO/DI??