Star lost an arm

[psychofishy]

Our Ophiarachnella ramsayi lost one of it's arms. Will the star survive?

The only fish currently in the tank is a domino damsel, could he have caused this?

What else could cause a star to lose it's tentacle?

 

[greenbean36191]

Well they are called brittle stars for a reason. Harassment from just about anything, including hermits, shrimp, fish, or even suction from pumps and powerheads could cause them to drop a leg. Assuming this is the problem, the star will be fine and will grow a new leg fairly quickly. The old leg may wiggle around the tank for a few days, but will ultimately die.

However, losing legs can also be a sign of physiological stress too. Low salinity, poor acclimation, or starvation are common causes. In these cases the damage has already been done and the symptoms usually get worse until the animal dies- there's nothing that can be done.