Sea urchin eating chocolate chip starfish?

Robert gifford · Nov 18, 2015

I can home today to find my pencil sea urchin eating one of the legs of my ccs. Will it be ok? I feed the urchin and starfish everyday so I don't know why they would be eating each other.

Naiad · Nov 18, 2015

Interesting... I've never heard of this. The starfish should be able to regrow his arm as long as water parameters are in check and there is no infection. I would be worried about infection though given the strange events

Robert gifford · Nov 18, 2015

I'll send a picture of it when I get back to my house

Robert gifford · Nov 18, 2015

It's kind of hard to see it

Naiad · Nov 18, 2015

It looks like there is damage to the tip of the other arm as well. What are your water parameters and when is the last time this guy ate? I would rule out the main factors for starfish limb deterioration first, water chem and starvation. I am almost certain the urchins actions were not the sole issue here.

Robert gifford · Nov 18, 2015

Salinity is 1.023, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites are all 0. It eats every night, I have a lot of different frozen foods that I feed it. Are you talking about the white on the tip of the other arm?

Naiad · Nov 18, 2015

After reading up on a few posts it seems that you will have to separate the two. The urchin will continue to eat the starfish. If water is good starfish should recover.

Robert gifford · Nov 18, 2015

Ok thank you. I'm not sure why the sea urchin did that

Naiad · Nov 18, 2015

Pencil urchins are actually omnivorous so they will eat meat.

Naiad · Nov 18, 2015

What I'm not sure of is why the star didn't fight back. If he is eating and in good health it is strange he was over powered. I would watch him very close.