Whose eating my starfish

[Rmoore7167]

You will have to pardon me, but im only 6 weeks into my 24gal nano...I love it! anyway, we loaded up aquarium with
1 sand sifting starfish
2 turbo snails
2 nassa snails
1 peppermint shrimp
2 emerald crabs
10 blue leg hermits

well they are all doin a heck of job on algae, and I just started feeding 1ml every 3-5 days of artipods. I originally thought I wouldnt have to feed animals at all. I thought that everything lived off of detrious (sp?) matter and algae etc. But apparently Im wrong? What should I do? IM afraid of getting nitrates etc out of balance with feeding?

any help would be appreciated

 

[christa]

Just wanted to add that you need a supply of empty snail shells for the blue hermits. They will eat your snails and take the shells. I am not sure which is eating your starfish. Did you know this type can get up to 12" long? He will eat all the organisms in your sand and then starve to death if not fed. They need alot of food and a larger tank. The LFS should have informed you of that. I am not much help on who is eating it. What signs is it showing?

 

[Aquarist007]

Hermits will eat anything they can get a hold off---esp your snails--they want the shells more than anything.
IMO keep the emeralds and get rid of the hermits--and more snails.
Nassarius snails will live in the substrate and keep it clean

 

[carlos_fb]

You may want to check this thread...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1156367

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10312284#post10312284 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by carlos_fb
You may want to check this thread...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1156367

ditto Carlos ---esp with the testimonial on there of the emerald eating a yellow tang.

 

[Moonstream]

get rid of emralds ASAP! they are little horrors at an adult size, and will eat ANYTHING, including fish snails and corals! and apparently starfish (AKA best bet is they are the ones eating your star).
keep an eye on the hermits, and get at least 1 extra shell for each, while 2 per hermit is better.
get rid of the star, it will likely die in the end, and gets too big for your tank to handle.

 

[greenbean36191]

I wouldn't assume anything is eating your star. My first guess would be that it's falling apart due to poor acclimation somewhere along the chain of custody.

 

[trae]

I would bet at night the Peppermint shrimp is. They eat the feet of similar animals.

 

[KUDA]

Peppermint shrimp don't eat echinoderms (sp?) feet like harlequins or bumblebees. Peppermints don't cause trouble to cucumbers or starfish.

 

[graveyardworm]

I agree with greenbean. The seastar is likely suffering from acclimation stress, and probably wont make it. Peppermint shrimp, hermits, crabs, and nassarius are all opportunistic feeders, and anyone could be munching on the seastar if it is sick. The only critter you have there that doesnt require you to feed it or an abundance of food you probably cant provide ( the seastar ) are the turbo snails.

 

[Reefmack]

I picked up a ss star a while back - didn't last a week. I gave it a lengthy acclimation, but I think it probably went without food too long, during transport, and however long it was in the sterile lfs tank. I think it was beyond hope when I got it. It lost one arm, the another, then just fell apart and I took what I could out with a net. Too many of these poor things are beyond hope when you get them, even if you think your tank has a good supply of nutrients for them.

 

[Aquarist007]

I really think my blue star was indirectly killed my the hermists or emeralds. It had a nice chunk taken out of it one night--lasted only two more weeks after---I think it was a secondary infection introduced through the wound.

 

[Toua]

hi i'm new here but i do have some experience keeping emeralds and i do believe that's what ate your star fish. i had 2 red brittles and the emeralds were eating them starting at the legs until i just couldn't find the brittle stars anymore.

 

[Grins]

From what I've read I agree with the others that your tank is way too small to sustain a healthy sandsifting star.