Serpent Sea Star Acclimation

[Cephalobob]

Hey everybody,
I’m checking out a Harlequin Serpent Sea Star and was looking for advice on acclimation. Particularly, I’ve heard you’re not supposed to expose them to air. If that’s the case, how do you get them in your tank without introducing LFS water?

 

[Supurderek]

With that method, you place starfish in a bucket. Do drip acclimate and just keep dumping out half the water until it’s a good majority of your own. Neigh impossible without exposure. With that being said, they can handle air; just don’t spend more than a few seconds.

 

[mort]

I've acclimated hundreds of these over the years and they can be gently picked up and lifted in and out of the tank if it's only a few seconds. The exposing to air is fine if they are well supported as it's to do with their delicate hydro vascular system, by placing it on your hands you will be fine, just don't pick it up by their legs and fling it.
I've had numerous brittlestars come in on dry rock, which is essentially live rock that's been wrapped in newspaper and sent half way around the world in a box. So they were out of water but moist for a few days and they were fine. You can't acclimate something that wasn't in water so they are a lot tougher than authors normally make out. If you gently drip them over a couple of hours you'll be fine.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I believe part of the issue with exposing stars to the air is that water fills spaces inside the star's body. When you lift it out of the water the water inside them can start to drain as well. When you put them back in the water, some may have a more difficult time getting the air trapped inside that replaced the water that drained out.

I've never had any issues with the serpent or brittle stars we typically keep in our tanks. But the first time I found a Bahamian Star in the Florida Keys while snorkeling, I held it up so my wife could get a photo of me and the star. It was only out of the water about 20 seconds, but when I went to put it back in the water it floated! I was shocked. I held it underwater and as soon as I did, bubbles started to escape through very tiny pores at the peak in the very center of the star's back. It bubbled for a good 10 seconds or more before it stopped and the star was able to sink again.

I assume (and this is purely an assumption on my part) something similar happens to serpent stars. Except they don't have the 'vent' hole on their backside so it could be much harder or even impossible for them to clear the air out that has become trapped inside.

If you really want to go the extra mile to keep them in the water, here's my suggestion. You've done your acclimation so the water it's in is mostly your tank water anyway. Take a glass, cup or any smaller container that the star can fit in. Sink it in the acclimation water mix and get the star inside it. Raise the container and add even more tank water so the container is very unlikely to have any old water. Then take the container full of 99% tank water and the star and put it in your tank and let the star go. You are very unlikely to have added anything bad.

I've collected serpent star and brittle stars in the Florida keys and even a 10 leg star off a private beach on the Gulf of Mexico and put them in my reef tank. I gave up doing quarantine many years ago, but I anything I collect does spend time in isolation for a day or two so I can inspect and acclimate it to my water.

 

[Cephalobob]

Thanks all! Good to know they won’t die from the brief exposure. It would be nice if the people writing the articles on acclimation mentioned these things. All the ones I read made it sound like you’d kill them if they were exposed to any amount of air

 

[mort]

I believe part of the issue with exposing stars to the air is that water fills spaces inside the star's body. When you lift it out of the water the water inside them can start to drain as well. When you put them back in the water, some may have a more difficult time getting the air trapped inside that replaced the water that drained out.

I've never had any issues with the serpent or brittle stars we typically keep in our tanks. But the first time I found a Bahamian Star in the Florida Keys while snorkeling, I held it up so my wife could get a photo of me and the star. It was only out of the water about 20 seconds, but when I went to put it back in the water it floated! I was shocked. I held it underwater and as soon as I did, bubbles started to escape through very tiny pores at the peak in the very center of the star's back. It bubbled for a good 10 seconds or more before it stopped and the star was able to sink again.

I assume (and this is purely an assumption on my part) something similar happens to serpent stars. Except they don't have the 'vent' hole on their backside so it could be much harder or even impossible for them to clear the air out that has become trapped inside.

If you really want to go the extra mile to keep them in the water, here's my suggestion. You've done your acclimation so the water it's in is mostly your tank water anyway. Take a glass, cup or any smaller container that the star can fit in. Sink it in the acclimation water mix and get the star inside it. Raise the container and add even more tank water so the container is very unlikely to have any old water. Then take the container full of 99% tank water and the star and put it in your tank and let the star go. You are very unlikely to have added anything bad.

I've collected serpent star and brittle stars in the Florida keys and even a 10 leg star off a private beach on the Gulf of Mexico and put them in my reef tank. I gave up doing quarantine many years ago, but I anything I collect does spend time in isolation for a day or two so I can inspect and acclimate it to my water.

Interesting view that I'd not really considered before. I had always believed it was due to potential damage of their hydro vascular system which is so fragile that rough handling or the increase of gravity by being out of water could impact. This is why I thought the more rigid starfish tend to do better (brittlestars aside), so it's nice to hear your personal experience.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Interesting view that I'd not really considered before. I had always believed it was due to potential damage of their hydro vascular system which is so fragile that rough handling or the increase of gravity by being out of water could impact. This is why I thought the more rigid starfish tend to do better (brittlestars aside), so it's nice to hear your personal experience.

You're 100% right, it's just personal experience and not scientific at all! But when that Bahamian Star floated it scared the heck out of me thinking I may have caused it serious injury. I'd say your take on it has just as much potential to be right as mine.... maybe both?;Wideyed