New inverts...the good and bad

H

Hiker4twenty

Reef enthusiast
Over the weekend I picked up a few new inverts for my tank. I got an Orange Fromia Starfish, 2 Sexy Shrimp, a Peppermint Shrimp and a Queen Conch. I havent' seen the sexy shrimp since I put them in. Hope they're not dead.:death: The peppermint runs around the tank. The starfish seems to be acting strange. It is on the glass hasn't moved in 2 days. Some if it's arms are kind of flowing in the current and seems like it's barely hanging on. Is this normal? The queen conch was dead the next day at the hand of my scarlet reef hermit! :frustrat: About 5 minutes after I put in the conch the scarlet immediately began to attack it. I separated numerous times, but I eventually had to go to bed. I woke up to find the conch shell empty and on it's back.
 
I had similar things happen with introducing hermits where my nassarius snails just immediately began to attack it. I think the stress of the move can cause them to die and predator inverts sense it and go in for the kill.
 
No, I did not expose the star to the air. I also did not drip acclimate. The LFS told me to bag float for an hr, add 1/2 cup of my DT water and let float another 1/2hr then add another 1/2cup of DT water and let float for another 1/2hr. After the 2hrs I slowly pour it into the tank on the top of my LR. If it is in fact dying or does die will it release any toxins into the water? It's my first experience with stars and it's not looking like a good one so far.
 
Sometimes they can take a long time to adjust. Sometimes they never do. Stars can be tough. They are sensitive to water conditions and it's hard to figure out what they actually need food wise to survive. Just keep an eye on him. If he dies or is dying, parts of his legs will start to disintegrate. That's when you know you need to take him out. But he won't release a bunch of toxins like an anemone or anything. You just want to get him out like any large dead fish.
 
If he is still alive then I would leave him in the tank. He may recover. If you flip him over onto his back and he doesn't right himself, then he is pretty much gone.
 
I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him. The LFS said they don't really do anything special to take care of them. Hopefully it will make it, but only time will tell. Thanks for all the advise!
 
Is the star doing it thing at the water surface? if so,then its probably sifting food particles off the surface.
 
Hiker4twenty said:
I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him. The LFS said they don't really do anything special to take care of them. Hopefully it will make it, but only time will tell. Thanks for all the advise!
Click to expand...

next time your lfs says that to you ask them how long they have been able to keep one alive and healthy. I have only been able to keep fromia for 8 months in my 850 in a tank smaller such as my 12 gallon nano 3 months tops. I hope it will do better for you.

You should always drip acclimate all inverts, snails, crabs, shrimp, etc. Do you have an anemone for your sexy shrimp? They need that relationship to survive?
 
Yote,

Yes, its at the very top of the tank near the surface. In fact its so close to the surface that the top 2 legs are folded over so they don't stick out of the water. It didn't move at all yesterday or overnight.

Winy,

I don't have an anemone for the sexy's. I had no clue they needed an anemone to survive.
 
They generally hang out on top of the rocks in my tank. They don't move around a lot, but just stay in one place wagging their little tails.
 
Well Yote, its not what we thought. I woke up this morning to fine the star looking like it was about to turn into jelly. One arm fell off during the night, but it was still kind of hanging onto the glass. So I scooped it up and gave it the old porcelain burrial. No more stars for me:frustrat:
 
Hate to hear that Hiker.
But I wouldnt give up on stars just yet.Try a serpent or a brittle star.Their easier to keep and help to keep the tank clean.
 
Maybe I will try another type of star that's a bit more hearty. I'm going to wait until my new tank is cycled and ready to roll before I think about adding another one.
 

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