Starfish spawning..while being eaten alive..

[Calappidae]

My harlequin shrimp decided to destroy my appetite for the night when they dragged the starfish out into the open infront of the tank.. and the starfish starting spawning.. while being munched on.. *where's the vomit smily on thing thing..*

OK but in all seriousiness... is the starfish actually spawning or is it just decaying like this? They carried out only two legs and they are still connected to eachother.. First time I actually gave them a full live chocolate chip star..

I'd appologize.. but i think the poor quality is doing all of us a favor in this case..

Meanwhile I can see a phosphate spike happening..another prime example why they pretty much kill any sps i put in this tank..

 

[clay12340]

Is this maybe a stress response? It looks similar to the images I've seen of the effects of whatever is killing so many wild starfish. Looks like they sort of just dissolve into stringy goop.

 

[Calappidae]

Is this maybe a stress response? It looks similar to the images I've seen of the effects of whatever is killing so many wild starfish. Looks like they sort of just dissolve into stringy goop.

That's exactly whats happening. It was "melting" and my ammonia turned skyhigh from it.. Another reason why harlequin shrimp aren't as reef safe as they sound..

 

[clay12340]

That's exactly whats happening. It was "melting" and my ammonia turned skyhigh from it.. Another reason why harlequin shrimp aren't as reef safe as they sound..

That's a pretty serious feeding. Looks like just the part they dragged out is several times their body mass. Most of the times I've seen them kept people would just clip part of a leg and toss the star back in another tank to recoup and regrow. Wasn't actually sure if it was a nutrient overload issue or a cost issue to save stars. Looks like it's probably both based on that picture.

Still pretty cool looking imo. Hope you can get it cleaned up before the algae bloom kicks off.

 

[Calappidae]

That's a pretty serious feeding. Looks like just the part they dragged out is several times their body mass. Most of the times I've seen them kept people would just clip part of a leg and toss the star back in another tank to recoup and regrow. Wasn't actually sure if it was a nutrient overload issue or a cost issue to save stars. Looks like it's probably both based on that picture.

Still pretty cool looking imo. Hope you can get it cleaned up before the algae bloom kicks off.

Trust me.. the algae got a heads start.. I'm cleaning my credit card for the next time I scrape the glass with it. Film everywhere.

 

[spoggy]

Stress response, coupled with Ammonia spike and dying starfish. Betcha it smells great too! Nothing quite like the smell of dead inverts.

 

[Calappidae]

Betcha it smells great too! Nothing quite like the smell of dead inverts.

I moved a rock in there to another tank.. and I'll I got to say is..

Hand me a bag ... That's the main reason I have them in a species setup.. and not in my 125g due to the mess they always make..