HELP!! What is this on my Starfish

[guppy74]

I saw this white spot on the top of my starfish the other day finally was able to get a good pic of it tonight. There are small bugs (cephlapods) I think crawling around it and in it any help would be appreciated. I have a GSM Clown fish and a Blue Damsel in the tank with him 2 Peppermint Shrimp and 10 Red legged hermit crabs.

 

[Guygettnby]

looks like a whole in the starfish. i have had this happen in the past and mine recovered from it. what are you tank parameters? how old is your tank? r u using RO water?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Can't tell you anything about the injury on your starfish, but rest assured there are no cephlapods crawling around on it. Copepods, amphipods, maybe, but cephlapods are octopuses and squid!

 

[guppy74]

Lol

Lol

lol, I meant to write Copepods. I am new to this. Why would the copepods be crawling on and in the white patch?

 

[guppy74]

My tank is about 1 1/2 months old Parameters just checked them last night are.
Ammonia 0
PH kinda low 8.0
Nitrate 5
Nitrite 0

 

[guppy74]

Water Parameters

Water Parameters

My tank is about 1 1/2 months old Parameters just checked them last night are.
Ammonia 0
PH kinda low 8.0
Nitrate 5
Nitrite 0

 

[iamwhatiam52]

lol, I meant to write Copepods. I am new to this. Why would the copepods be crawling on and in the white patch?

Some Copepods and amphipods are opportunistic feeders and may be feeding on the exposed flesh or the dead material around the wound.

 

[guppy74]

No RO Water, Conditioned Tap water.

 

[mndfreeze]

Conditioned as in, with a water softener? Start using R/O man.

Also, how long have you had the starfish and do you spot feed it? Tons of stars slowly starve to death or fall victim to disease due to improper care, and it sometimes can take a year.

 

[guppy74]

I use Aquasafe water conditioner. I do spot feed him a few times a week how many times a week should it be fed?

 

[guppy74]

R.i.p

R.i.p

My Star Fish died the hole ended up going deeper and had greenish yellow stuff coming out of it. R.I.P Patrick the Star Fish (My Daughter named it lol)

 

[Zire]

I'd bet on it being a wound which became infected. The 'pods crawling in and around it were probably eating the dead/dying tissue, just as they do with dead fish and other animals. The greenish yellow stuff was probably pus, maybe?

 

[Guygettnby]

sorry the star failed but i also think your tank was too new for the star. the funny thing is when i got my first serpent star i was spot feeding it pellets.. about a week later i noticed the same thing and the wierd thing was the pellets were coming out the top thru the whole in the starfish. i stopped spot feeding after that and it recovered. the star only got what fell to the bottom of the tank. i really dont think spot feeding is needed, but i also dont think stars should be put into a newer tank that has not had a chance to completely establish.

 

[Guygettnby]

oh yea and i defilently agree you should be using RODI water. conditioned tap water may be fine for some, but you never know how nasty your water is until you test it and even then it could change all the time. $100 is not too much to spend in this hobby considering the cost of what it takes to get all the other equipment or even livestock.

another alternative is to buy 1 gallon jugs from your local grocery store or walmart for like 50 cents. that is what i did when i first started, just make sure the bottle says processed by RODI and not distilled.

 

[guppy74]

How long should I wait if I wanted to add another Serpent Star? I liked him a lot and my wife is the one who actually wanted it to begin with and well need I say more :spin1:LOL.

 

[mndfreeze]

You really need to start using RO/DI water first before you consider another sensitive invert. My old houses water softener used salt to condition the water, others use potassium, both you don't want in your fish tank unless you are dosing them specifically (or making your proper salt water)

I take 5 gallon jugs to the circle K near me and spend a buck per 5 gallons of super filtered RO/DI.