i dont get it???? help!!

metalmagiccusto · 01/16/2009, 12:03 PM

lol i cant seem to keep a starfish and i dont know y? all the perameters are right and ive tryed with one of them awsome orange ones and i just got a sand sifting one and he just started to loose his legs... i dont know whats happening?

Toddrtrex · 01/16/2009, 12:07 PM

Some tank specs (( with numbers )) would be helpful -- including the salinity.

How are you acclimating them?

However, sand sifting stars have a very poor track record, most them them starve to death -- after wiping out any life in your sandbed.

As for the orange one, I am going to assume that they were linkas, which also have poor track records.

oscarslr · 01/16/2009, 12:07 PM

Something is eating them

metalmagiccusto · 01/16/2009, 12:11 PM

two seahorses are the tankmates

metalmagiccusto · 01/16/2009, 12:12 PM

ohh salt is 1.025

KarlBob · 01/16/2009, 12:19 PM

My first suggestion: Don't tell us "all the parameters are right." You'll have lots of people asking about this parameter and that one and oh, how about the other one. Please list every parameter you've tested with the results.

Did you purchase your 55 gallon tank new or used? If it was used, it's possible that the previous owner may have dosed copper at some point. Copper adsorbs to the sealant at the corners and edges of the tank when it's used, then leaches back out to the water for a looong time.

From what I've read, it seems that starfish require slow, careful acclimation. How did you introduce the starfish to your water?

Finally, you might want to do some research on the sand sifting starfish. Even if you can keep it alive in the beginning, it might end up starving to death after it eats everything it can find in your sand bed.

returnofsid · 01/16/2009, 12:33 PM

Sounds like you had a Linkia Starfish. They're notoriously hard to keep alive, even in the best tanks.

metalmagiccusto · 01/16/2009, 05:59 PM

ok ive been reef keeping for about 3.5 years so all of my perameters are normal i keep the water changed out twice a week to the big tank so i know the water is fine the onlything i can think of is the lady at the lfs let it hit air when she bagged it soooo? also ive had him for about a week and it just started loosing legs and it dont look good now im thinkin hes dead....as for the tank they both were new and i never used copper!

seapug · 01/16/2009, 06:08 PM

As mentioned above, starfish are among the most difficult creatures to keep alive in captivity. Few live more than a year in even the best maintained tanks.

SeaSpza · 01/16/2009, 06:16 PM

I had a sandsifting star that lasted about 3 years.I just recently tried one again and it is dead.Lost an arm a week after buying it and then it curled up really weird so i took it out.The sandbed that kept the other one alive was about the same size and FULL of live things for it to eat.The one the second star went into was also loaded with critters.What went wrong the second time, who knows.With starfish its kind of a gamble.Even if your tank is perfect for them, they might have been starving for who knows how long before you got em.Most of them die it seems.But if you do get one to stick they are so cool.Dont give up on them if you really like them.I enjoyed mine.Well the ones that lived anyways.

Sir Romey · 01/17/2009, 10:28 PM

I cant keep mine alive either but its because I have a pair of Harlequins!

nikon187 · 01/18/2009, 01:45 AM

most starve to death as we don't know exactly what they feed on.I have seen many stars climb out of tanks so i dought Air will kill a star

tmz · 01/18/2009, 01:50 AM

Starfish are bad bets for any reef tank. They just don't get enough natural food, sponges etc. I've had them last a while and get smaller and smaller and eventualy die.If the legs are falling off they may have been exposed to air.

01/16/2009, 12:03 PM	#1
metalmagiccusto Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: indiana Posts: 50	i dont get it???? help!! lol i cant seem to keep a starfish and i dont know y? all the perameters are right and ive tryed with one of them awsome orange ones and i just got a sand sifting one and he just started to loose his legs... i dont know whats happening?

01/16/2009, 12:07 PM	#2
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	Some tank specs (( with numbers )) would be helpful -- including the salinity. How are you acclimating them? However, sand sifting stars have a very poor track record, most them them starve to death -- after wiping out any life in your sandbed. As for the orange one, I am going to assume that they were linkas, which also have poor track records. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

01/16/2009, 12:07 PM	#3
oscarslr Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 782	Something is eating them __________________ Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Aristotle Current Tank Info: 225g All Starphire tank/ SPS dominated 4 mp40s ATB 1050A 8 60w T5

01/16/2009, 12:19 PM	#6
KarlBob Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Laveen, AZ Posts: 2,309	My first suggestion: Don't tell us "all the parameters are right." You'll have lots of people asking about this parameter and that one and oh, how about the other one. Please list every parameter you've tested with the results. Did you purchase your 55 gallon tank new or used? If it was used, it's possible that the previous owner may have dosed copper at some point. Copper adsorbs to the sealant at the corners and edges of the tank when it's used, then leaches back out to the water for a looong time. From what I've read, it seems that starfish require slow, careful acclimation. How did you introduce the starfish to your water? Finally, you might want to do some research on the sand sifting starfish. Even if you can keep it alive in the beginning, it might end up starving to death after it eats everything it can find in your sand bed. __________________ Later, KarlBob Current Tank Info: No tanks for now. Starting over in Austin sometime next year.

01/16/2009, 06:08 PM	#9
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	As mentioned above, starfish are among the most difficult creatures to keep alive in captivity. Few live more than a year in even the best maintained tanks. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

01/16/2009, 12:11 PM	#4
metalmagiccusto Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: indiana Posts: 50	two seahorses are the tankmates

01/16/2009, 12:12 PM	#5
metalmagiccusto Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: indiana Posts: 50	ohh salt is 1.025

01/16/2009, 12:33 PM	#7
returnofsid Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,852	Sounds like you had a Linkia Starfish. They're notoriously hard to keep alive, even in the best tanks.

01/16/2009, 05:59 PM	#8
metalmagiccusto Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: indiana Posts: 50	ok ive been reef keeping for about 3.5 years so all of my perameters are normal i keep the water changed out twice a week to the big tank so i know the water is fine the onlything i can think of is the lady at the lfs let it hit air when she bagged it soooo? also ive had him for about a week and it just started loosing legs and it dont look good now im thinkin hes dead....as for the tank they both were new and i never used copper!

01/16/2009, 06:16 PM	#10
SeaSpza Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southie MA Posts: 192	I had a sandsifting star that lasted about 3 years.I just recently tried one again and it is dead.Lost an arm a week after buying it and then it curled up really weird so i took it out.The sandbed that kept the other one alive was about the same size and FULL of live things for it to eat.The one the second star went into was also loaded with critters.What went wrong the second time, who knows.With starfish its kind of a gamble.Even if your tank is perfect for them, they might have been starving for who knows how long before you got em.Most of them die it seems.But if you do get one to stick they are so cool.Dont give up on them if you really like them.I enjoyed mine.Well the ones that lived anyways.

01/17/2009, 10:28 PM	#11
Sir Romey Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sahuarita, Az Posts: 264	I cant keep mine alive either but its because I have a pair of Harlequins!

01/18/2009, 01:45 AM	#12
nikon187 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Edmonton Alberta Posts: 4,717	most starve to death as we don't know exactly what they feed on.I have seen many stars climb out of tanks so i dought Air will kill a star __________________ ----------------- Current Tanks: New 210 custom 84 x 24 x 24, 60g sump, SWC 250 extreme with bubble blaster 5000, 2 vortech mp40, 2 vortech mp10, 12 T5, Water blaster 5000, warner marine bio pellets, 60g clownfish cube, red carpet anemone with a 25g sump,SRO octopus 1000sss, 250w radium, lumenarc large.

01/18/2009, 01:50 AM	#13
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Starfish are bad bets for any reef tank. They just don't get enough natural food, sponges etc. I've had them last a while and get smaller and smaller and eventualy die.If the legs are falling off they may have been exposed to air. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.