What's wrong with my sand-sifting star?

[lordofthereef]

So for the past two days the star has surfaced (I hadn't seen it since I put him in the tank, which I am obviously ok with). Today I saw what looks like necrosis on the tips of two of its arms. I took it out and put it in a tupperware for photographing. Not wonderful pics, but good enough to show the problem. This material is soft, so I know it is decaying. Not sure what would cause this?

The arms in question are the left and bottom left

 

[lordofthereef]

Thought I might add a little more info...
He is in my 150g acrylic which has been set up for about four months. It's a FOWLR with all peaceful fish. 3-inch sand bed (sugar fine aragonite) that was all live sand I got from another reefer. Tank is fed very well.

SG 1.021
Amm 0
pH 8.2
trites 0
trates 0

 

[Toddrtrex]

First your SG should be at 1.026.

But, most likely is it starving to death, and that would explain the legs, it is consuming itself. Your tank size might have been big enough for it, but it is too new. They can strip a sandbed clean in short order.

 

[lordofthereef]

Why should salinity be 1.026? Plenty of people run a fowlr at 1.021. I thought 1.026 was only necessary in coral tanks? Are you saying salinity could have played a role in this?

 

[Crush Coral]

.021 will not hurt the starfish. I would try setting it on some food and see if it eats it. I just added one about 2 months ago to a 4 year old tank had he is doing OK. When he is on the top of the sand bed I add some sinking pellet food-don't know if he eats it or not though.

 

[lordofthereef]

Should I try and place it in a Tupperware like in the pic and put him on top off the food? I know
Plenty of food makes to the sand bed though I am sure not deep within the sand. It does get cleaned up fast by all the snails and hermits thought.

 

[jrivera]

I work at a sw fish store and today we had this problem with a sandsifter. Stars in general can be sensative to basically anything. But what looks like whats happening is that its just melting. Id keep an eye on it for a day or two. If it keeps spreading u might want to get a new one and get rid of that one.

 

[billdogg]

as todd said, it is starving to death. There is no real cure for it. They ar (in)famous for doing just that, in pretty much every tank they are placed in, unless it is huge (several hundred gallons), and even then, they can easily stripp all life from your sandbed. IMO, one of the critters best left to the ocean.

Wish I could be more helpful.

 

[serpentman]

first your sg should be at 1.026.

But, most likely is it starving to death, and that would explain the legs, it is consuming itself. Your tank size might have been big enough for it, but it is too new. They can strip a sandbed clean in short order.

+1

 

[lordofthereef]

Interesting. Not disagreeing, just curious how the guy that recommended it had it in a tank around the size of mine (180) and has never had this happen. Everything I read about them also said they were super easy to keep.

So is it a goner then or would getting it in a more established tank help? What else would be a good option for sand-sifting? Was looking at gobies but having a hard time finding something not super small. Eels would make a snack of the tiny ones I have seen around!

 

[Toddrtrex]

If you are going to have inverts in your FOWLR, you should be at 1.026.

The guy that recommended it... how long had his tank been set up?

As for sand sifting, because of my S. Haddoni anemones in each tank, I really can't have any sand sifters (( they will get eaten )), so I just vacuum the sandbed with each weekly water change -- granted I have shallow sandbeds in each tank.

 

[lordofthereef]

The tank has been up for maybe a year. He just bought a new sand sifter because he accidentally dropped a rock on his other one while re-aquascaping and totally crushed it. They sent him two by accident and he felt that would be overkill so he gave me the "spare".

As far as the inverts, shouldn't I see some ill signs at this point due to the dropped salinity of they need it at 1.026? Again, not disagreeing, just wanting to learn.

At this point, I am feeling like the reef tanks I kept were easier! (in reality I don't think they were easier, just different is all).

 

[snorvich]

First your SG should be at 1.026.

But, most likely is it starving to death, and that would explain the legs, it is consuming itself. Your tank size might have been big enough for it, but it is too new. They can strip a sandbed clean in short order.

Exactly to both points

 

[Drews89]

dont sweat it.. what it can happen is that it if you another one it can happen the same thing and melt completely but thats ok. cuz in the long run when you least expect it you will notice a little tiny animal wondering aroun your glass and guess what ??? that going to be you sand sifter star and Im saying that for experience that it happen to me twice so now i have 3 really tiny sand sifters around rocks, and glass but dont know were the 3rd one came from. and from what I know is that when it melts down as longest the center of the mouth is still there it will grown back out again

 

[lordofthereef]

^^^ You sure you aren't talking about asterinas?