RODI Water - causing sand sifting star to decompose?

[TheFishTickler]

I have had a sand sifting starfish for about a year. He has plenty to eat in the sand bed (spaghetti worms, left over brine shrimp, seaweed, plant debris).

Recently started an RODI system where it tops off at 50/50 to acclimate from hard to soft water. Since the starfish eats well, could the change in water be causing his limbs to break apart?

The only other thing I can think of is him getting too friendly with the short spine urchin or RFA.

 

[homer1475]

How big is the tank he is in? They can decimate a sandbed rather quickly.

Typically when they start loosing limbs, they are literally starving to death.

Has nothing to do with your water.

 

[austibella]

Is your starfish still alive but lost a few legs? Crabs will go after snails and starfish if they don't have enough food.i have stars and urchins and never a problem. your star could have got a leg caught in a wave pump and is discinergrating. It can grow another leg....I had a red star lost a leg and the leg grew another body! I couldn't belive it.didnt know that can happen. So I looked it up because I didn't know what the heck was in my tank and its true they can sometimes grow a body from the leg.

 

[TheFishTickler]

How big is the tank he is in? They can decimate a sandbed rather quickly.

Typically when they start loosing limbs, they are literally starving to death.

Has nothing to do with your water.

The tank is 20 gallons. He has plenty to feed on.

 

[homer1475]

20G is no where enough sandbed for a sand sifting star. I would only put one of these in a sandbed of 100G or more, maybe.

I had one in a well established 80G cube, within a year it slowly started loosing limbs from starvation. One day I found just the body, no legs buried in the sandbed.

Trust me, it's starving to death.