one of my starfish arms looks like its dying

[sinful]

came home and noticed my starfish on the wall with one arm out of the water, I knocked him back down in the tank and he seems fine besides that one arm, will he die from it?

 

[BlitzK]

if the arm does die wont it grow back?

 

[alizarin]

If the arm is from him falling it'll grow back fine (in my experience). When arms start to disintegrate on their own is when it's a problem I think.

 

[sinful]

the arm is messed up from him climbing to the top of the tank and hanging it out of the water. I knocked him down when I noticed him up there and he seems to be fine(moving along the rock and sand) but that one arm seems messed up and unusable.

 

[muffin_man]

What do you do if an arm starts disintegrating on its own?

 

[alizarin]

What do you do if an arm starts disintegrating on its own?

I think star fish disintegrate on their own if
* Not properly aclimated to a new tank
* Bad chemistry, especially nitrates
* Not having enough food.
I had two that did that in my first tank and I think it was nitrates. Eventually the whole animal disintegrated... probably would've been fine if I acclimated him slowly to a quarantine tank until I'd fixed the nitrates in the main tank.

 

[muffin_man]

Over what period of time will this happen? The starfish was fine for the first 5 days...

 

[jaymz101]

If an arm starts to disintigrate or becomes injured or misshapen/deformed, you should be able to just lop it off. As long as the starfish is happy, any party of the oral disc that contains enough of the sentral nervous system, should regenerate into a fully functional starfish.

 

[keithntracy]

Just curious, what kind of starfish is it?

 

[sinful]

a dead one

 

[alizarin]

Over what period of time will this happen? The starfish was fine for the first 5 days...

This was a few years ago but that sounds about right... not right away but within 3-6 days. Mine was a sand-sifting star in a 15 gallon.

 

[muffin_man]

It is a sand-sifting star. Didn't seem him all day, so not sure how he is now, he's hidden.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Doc Holiday]

Harlequin shrimp?

 

[muffin_man]

No Harlequin present. Star was pretty much in pieces today, I took him out.