The tabk is a 180 with 150 of LR. The base rock are 3 wide, flat piece of florida coral rock. I have plenty of LR. But it is a newly established tank. It has been up for 2 to 3 months. The water quality is good, I tested the day i bought him and since. How do you prooperly acclimate a star? I did the normal floating in the tank bit. What else should I have done?
Help - Serpent Star keeps losing legs
- Thread starter hurrifan
- Start date
when acclimating anyting i float the bag then add a small amount of water(1/2 cup) of tank water to bag then wait about 10-15 mins and add another 1/2 cup wait...add....wait...add...wait....then I release him this does alot to slowly acclimate the new occupant to the water conditions that exist in the tank i.e. salinity calcium content ect..
as an added not i just feed my linka a piece of algea based frozen food he loved it perhaps you could try this
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grilling Forum
as an added not i just feed my linka a piece of algea based frozen food he loved it perhaps you could try this
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grilling Forum
ok i did some research and this is what i found that may be the cause .....
what is you salinty / specific gravity all star and most inverts require high spec gravity 1.025-1,026
they adjust very poorly to changes in salinity if the salinity in your tank was different from that at the LFS and you only floated the bag this could cause salinity shock in the star and cause it to loose its arms
also the stars moves by a system of kinda internal hydrolics if the salinity in the tank is too low this could inhibit his ability to regulate this and he would drop his arms
the crab is a possibility as i had one attack a linka in my tank
hope this helps
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Honda CMX450
what is you salinty / specific gravity all star and most inverts require high spec gravity 1.025-1,026
they adjust very poorly to changes in salinity if the salinity in your tank was different from that at the LFS and you only floated the bag this could cause salinity shock in the star and cause it to loose its arms
also the stars moves by a system of kinda internal hydrolics if the salinity in the tank is too low this could inhibit his ability to regulate this and he would drop his arms
the crab is a possibility as i had one attack a linka in my tank
hope this helps
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Honda CMX450
Okay, I've seen this several times in the past, and it's generally due to poor acclimation (as others have said). With stars of all kinds, the slower the acclimation the better - since they use a water based hydrolic and vascular system, they are very susceptible to quick changes in water parameters, especially salinity.
I have saved a red serpent star that lost 4 legs completely, and the fifth down to less than 1/2". The important thing to realize is that the star will not be getting around much to scavenge its food, so you'll need to hand feed it small pieces of meaty food every few days (I used frozen krill). It took the star a couple of months to have significant regrowth of it's legs (about 1/2" during that time), but by then the star could get around and scavenge pretty well. Took most of a year to get full legs back, but 3 years later it's still going strong, so don't give up!
Kevin
I have saved a red serpent star that lost 4 legs completely, and the fifth down to less than 1/2". The important thing to realize is that the star will not be getting around much to scavenge its food, so you'll need to hand feed it small pieces of meaty food every few days (I used frozen krill). It took the star a couple of months to have significant regrowth of it's legs (about 1/2" during that time), but by then the star could get around and scavenge pretty well. Took most of a year to get full legs back, but 3 years later it's still going strong, so don't give up!
Kevin
It is possible that the cause was an issue of acclimation, but Red Serpent Stars are notoriously susceptible to bacterial infections that cause them to drop arms.
It's an interesting fact that serpent stars of all kinds will lose arms during an RTN event (rapid tissue necrosis affecting corals).
When stars have an infection they are contageous- put an affected star in an unaffected tank containing other serpents and all will drop legs.
I believe Doxycycline is effective in stopping the bacteria.
Julian Sprung
It's an interesting fact that serpent stars of all kinds will lose arms during an RTN event (rapid tissue necrosis affecting corals).
When stars have an infection they are contageous- put an affected star in an unaffected tank containing other serpents and all will drop legs.
I believe Doxycycline is effective in stopping the bacteria.
Julian Sprung
One week ago I bought a beautiful bright red serpent star with all of his legs. As of this morning he has lost all of his legs all the way up to his body. What could be causing this? I only have snails and hermits in the tank. My only thought is that I have 3 very large (50+ pounds each) pieces of base rock. As I first put him in, he did not seem to be able to walk very well on / over it. It does not have any algae growth. Could it be too rough for him and be causing him to get his legs caught? I have no idea. I have temporarily put into a impromptu refugium. I have a plastic spaghetti stranier floating on the surface of the water with him in. Hopefully, his legs will grow back and I can solve the problme. Next question is now that he is in there what do I feed him. Can I throw left over silverside and other food in there for him to scavenge? Please help. I don't want to lose this gorgeous animal, especially since he was $30.00.
stars are scavengers sounds to me like there is nothing in your tank to scavenge he could be starving and dropping legs to decrease his bio needs
50lbs pieces of base rock ? add some good live rock and place him on one
my linkas survive solely on the what my tank produces and what my fish miss but you could try some krill or squid
how about some more info on your tank water quality ect
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Honda CBR600RR
50lbs pieces of base rock ? add some good live rock and place him on one
my linkas survive solely on the what my tank produces and what my fish miss but you could try some krill or squid
how about some more info on your tank water quality ect
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Honda CBR600RR
How did you acclimate him? When a star loses its legs, it's usually a sign of poor acclimation. It doesn't really sound like he'll make it if he lost all his legs. I would take him out if it looks like he's pretty well gone. You don't want his body to decompose in there. If you think there's any way he might make it, I'd let him go in the tank and try feeding meaty foods. The rocks won't hurt him.
I have a tiger serpent star who was a "rehab" case from the store where I worked. He had major necrosis including bare patches exposing his "innards" on the body disc as well as missing legs.
I brougth him home and gave him a few treatments with Kent Tech D (per package instructions) and he started to recover. All the bodily necrosis healed and he was regrowing a leg, and several months later now something started pulling his legs off (mantis?) in the tank.
I just gave him another Tech D treatment this morning and have moved him to the sump/refugium. He is still moving around on his stumps, but he'll stand a better chance in the 'fuge.
Stay tuned.
Jenn
I brougth him home and gave him a few treatments with Kent Tech D (per package instructions) and he started to recover. All the bodily necrosis healed and he was regrowing a leg, and several months later now something started pulling his legs off (mantis?) in the tank.
I just gave him another Tech D treatment this morning and have moved him to the sump/refugium. He is still moving around on his stumps, but he'll stand a better chance in the 'fuge.
Stay tuned.
Jenn
The advice given is quite good, and I am glad to hear of successful treatments for brittles that are not in the best of shape.
This bright red serpent star appears to be the fairly rare (hence the price) Ophioderma squamosissimum from the Caribbean. Proper (long and slow) acclimation is key to success, and sluggishness/failure to quickly hide is an indication right from the start that the brittle is not doing well, and may be suffering from improper acclimation by the LFS. They can, as noted, start to disintegrate rapidly due to a number of conditions, including rapid changes in water conditions/quality, disease, and starvation.
You should not buy a brittle that does not seem to be trying to hide, even if it is just scrunched up in a corner. Good LFS' should have places for them to hide, as this is their nature. Healthy brittles will quickly move to cover, and should be able to turn themsleves over rapidly if placed on their back. Look closely for any white 'raw' spots. They shouldn't have any trouble moving over live rock.
Brittles are often predatory, especially the common green species. I suspect many species will eat a whole range of living/dead animals if not fed regularly in their own right. Definitely give it some good meaty foods directly.
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Brittlestars!! http://home.att.net/~ophiuroid
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This bright red serpent star appears to be the fairly rare (hence the price) Ophioderma squamosissimum from the Caribbean. Proper (long and slow) acclimation is key to success, and sluggishness/failure to quickly hide is an indication right from the start that the brittle is not doing well, and may be suffering from improper acclimation by the LFS. They can, as noted, start to disintegrate rapidly due to a number of conditions, including rapid changes in water conditions/quality, disease, and starvation.
You should not buy a brittle that does not seem to be trying to hide, even if it is just scrunched up in a corner. Good LFS' should have places for them to hide, as this is their nature. Healthy brittles will quickly move to cover, and should be able to turn themsleves over rapidly if placed on their back. Look closely for any white 'raw' spots. They shouldn't have any trouble moving over live rock.
Brittles are often predatory, especially the common green species. I suspect many species will eat a whole range of living/dead animals if not fed regularly in their own right. Definitely give it some good meaty foods directly.
--------------------
Brittlestars!! http://home.att.net/~ophiuroid
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