Starfish Deaths

[399 Reef]

I've had a red linkia starfish for over a a month. I just purchased a sand-sifter starfish 2 days ago (which had five legs when I introduced him). The sand-sifter immediately buried itself. This morning the red linkia looked fine. This evening the red linkia looked like it had be pulled from the beaches of Normandy in 1945 and the sand-sifter is missing a leg. I do not have a harliquin shrimp. I have not heard or seen a mantis shrimp. The fish I have, have never bothered the red starfish before (2 Maroon Clowns, Flame Angel, Yellow Tang, Tomini Tang, Copperband Butterfly, and 5 green chromis). I have 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 fire shrimp, and 3 emerald crabs. That's it. I acclimated the sand-sifter and did not place any of the water it came in, in the tank. I have 50 lbs of live reef rock from FL that has shown increasing life over the past month (mostly corals and clams).

Any ideas?

Thanks

399 Reef

 

[norfolkgarden]

The red linkia are not as pitiful as the blue linkia for survival rates, but they are close enough.
What size was it?

Can't tell you about the sand sifter, Never had one of those.
Unfortunately I've watched 4 or 5 red linkia die over the years after about 6 or 7 months of being in our 75 gallon tank.
What size is your tank?

 

[AcroNem]

Do you have pictures of the remains? Or can you describe more of what they looked like?

 

[kirstyflash]

We had a sand sifter...he was a very very hungry bugger and ate 4 live healthy nassarius snails before having the last cause an abscess internally that burst and ripped the main body to pieces. Could see straight thru his mouth. Now we are sticking to micro brittle stars.

 

[399 Reef]

The red starfish was small to medium about 3”. I don’t have pictures (should’ve thought if that). But I have had harlequin shrimp in my past and it looked just like a harlequin got to it (same with the sandsifter). It definitely had bites taken out of it. The flesh in the bite areas was white. I will try and take a picture of the sandsifter if it comes back out. It was not a bacterial infection or something like that as the damage was way too quick.

 

[399 Reef]

Sorry, tank size is 75 gallons.

The red starfish was small to medium about 3”. I don’t have pictures (should’ve thought if that). But I have had harlequin shrimp in my past and it looked just like a harlequin got to it (same with the sandsifter). It definitely had bites taken out of it. The flesh in the bite areas was white. I will try and take a picture of the sandsifter if it comes back out. It was not a bacterial infection or something like that as the damage was way too quick.

 

[cristata.reef]

Could have already been starving and simply died in your tank. I've had a sand sifter scrape some spines off one of it's arms while burrowing under LR and it recovered. Don't know if that helps but I'm just trying to offer a little insight

 

[399 Reef]

Found the villain! It was one of my red legged hermit crabs. Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas

 

[kirstyflash]

Found the villain! It was one of my red legged hermit crabs. Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas

Time for solitary confinement, make sure you give him a ball to bounce to pass the time

 

[399 Reef]

He’s been banished to the sump!

 

[Harte]

I added 2 small sandsifter starfish to my 75 gallon reef tank a month ago. Both looked healthy and had been active in the tank. A week ago I noticed one was losing tips of its arms. Today I saw both and was shocked. One remains perfect, the other has lost a full arm and half of two others. This was not a slow progression. It happened in ten days to two weeks. It remains hard and is active.
The sand is full of critters so I doubt it is a question of lack of food especially since it is only happening to one.
Any thoughts or ideas?
I have removed it from the tank.

 

[norfolkgarden]

I added 2 small sandsifter starfish to my 75 gallon reef tank a month ago. Both looked healthy and had been active in the tank. A week ago I noticed one was losing tips of its arms. Today I saw both and was shocked. One remains perfect, the other has lost a full arm and half of two others. This was not a slow progression. It happened in ten days to two weeks. It remains hard and is active.
The sand is full of critters so I doubt it is a question of lack of food especially since it is only happening to one.
Any thoughts or ideas?
I have removed it from the tank.

Never kept 1. Even when we had a 6" DSB.
Was told that they would eventually clean up everything spotless, then starve and die under the sand.
And that even though you could find them at 2 to 3" in size they would potentially reach a foot.
A few small tiger tail cucumbers (or just 1) are a good choice long term.

Sorry about the starfish.