I've heard stars lose legs, but this seems a bit much!

[RussC]

I've owned a red tile starfish and a tiger serpent starfish forever. No trouble. I added a brittle star June 7 and just added a red serpent star on June 28. On June 30, I noticed two leg tips on my tile star looked as though he'd picked a fight with one of my WAV pumps. I chalked it up to just that until I noticed my new, red serpent star was missing two legs and the very tip of another. Now I'm suspicious. Do I have a critter that's all of sudden gotten a taste for red starfish? The tiger serpent and the brittle star are all good.

I've read where the red serpent is sensitive to parameters. Okay. But my parameters are very stable. I've read where fire shrimp will sometimes go after stars. I have one. But why now? He's been in there forever too. It might be just a coincidence about the tile star and the serpent star. As for other critters that I would think might possible be aggressive: Filament Fin Fairy Wrasse, Clowns, tangs. Who knows. But sure is interesting.

Anyone encountered this?

 

[mcgyvr]

Looks like they are being chomped on to me..

 

[RussC]

Yep, me too. Wouldn't really had given it a second thought after seeing my tile star until I saw my red serpent star's missing and damaged digits. Once I saw that, the first thing I thought was I have something in the tank going after them.

I read where fire shrimp have been known to do that in the past. I've got a very health, relatively large, fire shrimp. But he lives under the same rock as the tiger star. I guess he doesn't like red. Oh the irony....

 

[RussC]

I think I have a suspect. I have a long spiked sea urchin. According to what I've read, they can become predatory if hungry enough. That would explain the "chomping" look at the end of the tile starfish.

 

[Uncle99]

Yup urchin, good thinking!
Many love them, I don't trust them and their raspy teeth can strip coraline algae to white rock. If it was one Id say just crossed paths, but TWO, that's nasty.

Had one bore a hole through a clam. Beware.