Serpent Sea Star - Not Active

[ScoobyElla]

I purchased a serpent sea star last weekend. The sea star immediately found a spot and has been there the whole week. I have yet to find it leave this spot. The first morning I found out that it lost about 1/4 of 1 leg. And now this morning 1/2 of another leg has fallen off and is basically completely flipped over, see photo. Is this normal? When I feed the tentacles do move if a piece of music shrimp lands on a tentacle but not much. I wake up in the middle of the night to try and find the sea star out and about but it won’t leave that area. At what point do you know if a sea star is not doing well or is dead?

I keep my SG relatively high at 1.026-1.027. all other parameters are good.
my tank just hit a year and is pretty stable. I have a pair of clowns, a coral beauty, paired TWG and band shrimp, and a cleaner shrimp. These have all been in the tank since the beginningish . I’ve only added inverts for the last 8 months.

 

[Sharkbait19]

What are the full params? Brittle/serpent stars will sort of fall apart if the water is bad for them. The other thing I can think of is that it is being attacked...but that wouldn’t really explain its sluggishness.
I lost my serpent to my emerald crab slowly picking it apart.

 

[ScoobyElla]

1.026 SG
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20ppm

I do have a very small emerald crab and I try to watch for anyone near the sea star, especially at night to see if they are bothering it but no luck. I’ll keep watching

 

[Sharkbait19]

1.026 SG
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20ppm

I do have a very small emerald crab and I try to watch for anyone near the sea star, especially at night to see if they are bothering it but no luck. I’ll keep watching

Hmm, all those parameters are safe.
Maybe it’s not getting enough food?

 

[ScoobyElla]

Yeah that’s why I’m just seeing if this behavior is normal… but I’ll spot feed it this evening and see if it’s still reacting.

 

[ScoobyElla]

Update- went back to feed and the sea star is no where to be found! It’s finally moved! Hopefully this is a good thing, I’ll be up in the middle of the night looking for it

 

[JumboShrimp]

I believe even more so than some other creatures, they have to be acclimated VERY slowly; so maybe if you rushed things a bit, it was shocked at first. Glad things seem to be on the upswing. Regardless, they tend to act mysteriously. If he roams around from a few spots to a few other spots in the tank each week, he's likely OK.

 

[Cantusaurus]

Hmm. That is a bit strange. I had one in the past for months (only reason I no longer is because it was VERY large and would bother my corals in my small tank). But they are ridiculously hardy! Pellets should serve it well. They do not need to fed much, but may need to more if the tank is newer. They do not need larger food pieces. It could have been eating like a dead snail or something? Like that is strange it would be in one place like that. They will always hide if there is too much white light. But that is strange. Most likely it is parameter/stress related. Did your salinity or temperature change abruptly?
But it could also be a lack of food thing since they may eat their own arms or just ditch them if they do not have enough food. Do not give it too large of food pieces because it most of the time will not be able to get the whole thing in its mouth and digest it.

 

[ScoobyElla]

I spot fed it some mysis shrimp and the tentacles grabbed what it could. it’s def better than what it was, visually, the past week. But I def agree with the acclimation. I believe my lfs does not keep the SG as high as mine, so it def could be related to that.

I mean the tank parameters have been pretty well stable and the tank is a year old. With 20% WC every 2 weeks. I hope it is a hardy creature, I hate when things don’t work out! Haha

 

[Screwgunner]

I feed mine small chunks of chicken
He will shove it in his mouth and the top center of his body will form with the chicken it is so cool. Then I moved in the middle of winter . He lost 3 legs over that but he grew them back.

 

[Screwgunner]

I feed mine small chunks of chicken
He will shove it in his mouth and the top center of his body will form with the chicken it is so cool. Then I moved in the middle of winter . He lost 3 legs over that but he grew them back.

They like kfc with out the crust of course.

 

[Screwgunner]

My lfs has there's at 1.017

 

[Lsuhunter]

Curious to know what became of your starfish? I have something similiar happening to mine and wondering if its stress, dying, or being eaten alive. I saw 2 nassarius snails fighting over a piece of one of its arms last night which was disturbing.

 

[Sharkbait19]

It may be starving, have you seen it eat?