please help my starfish

michelle

Reefing newb
I have an small orange starfish, I think it is a fromia. Anyway, I had noticed last night it was dangerously close to my carpet anemone a couple of times and I had to move it. This morning when i saw him pieces of his flesh is hanging off. What do I do?
Thanks
 
I do have small hermits, but I really think it was the anemone...although I did see my bicolor blenny biting at it the other day, but the starfish was on top of the blennies little home
 
i dont t hink the hermits would eat the star unless it was already dieing. just git it by itsself it may recover but their may be some other underlying prob.
 
Daugherty is right, snails and hermits won't attack and kill a healthy starfish. If it's already dying and has flesh hanging off, then yes, that's their job to clean that sort of thing up.

Like others have said, starfish are usually good at regenerating lost body parts. However, I've had a starfish die, and it just slowly rotted away until it had no legs and was just a bouncing stump of a body (it was still alive). Quarantining it is your best bet, but there isn't anything you can do to help it recover. I also agree with Daugherty that the anemone may not have been the reason for it getting sick, it's hard to tell. Maybe, maybe not. Good luck.
 
I doubt the carpet got hold of the star.Usually when a carpet anemone gets hold of something,it eats it.
Just keep the star in QT and give it time.
 
does it have anything to eat in the QT tank? I would make sure to have some live rock in there to help it have a fighting chance.
I have wondered whether my starfish is going to make it sometimes, too. I've been told by a LFS guy that when she doesn't move for a few days she is probably digesting something like a snail. Although, I don't know to tell if that is true or not and I've never seen her actually eat anything.
I've had one whither away to a stump, too and it is gross.

Best of Luck!
 
Well she (cause its too pretty to be a male?) is doing much better today. there is a noticeable difference in her wounds. they are white, but look healed over as opposed to the very open pink wounds from yesterday. There are 4-5 seperate spots that look like bite marks. Actually she almost looks like she got caught in a powerhead and diced up a bit (only not that bad-I know she never, but thats the way the wounds look).
Anyway, my educated guess is maybe my bicolor blenny.. I have seen HIM (cause HE aint as pretty) biting at the star before when she gets too close to his home.
I will try to add a pic, if I can figure out how to size it down
 
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Not the best quality pic, but you will probably get the point
 
It doesn't look to bad. All limbs are intact. Keep her in QT she should make it. I would soak her food in garlic also.
 
the theory of your blenny could be a possibility, if thats the case i would either heal the star and take him back to the fish store or catch the blenny and take him back to the fish because that pair just doesnt sound like its working for you
 
Yeah, I will probably bring...i dunno...the star back? I like them both.:(
I really don't see the blenny much though...hmmmm. To be decided.
 
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