my sea star is dying
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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sample789
- Dwarf Puffer
- Posts: 98
- Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 2:04 am
- Gender: Male
- My Puffers: Puff daddy my GSP and my two SAPs named gibralter and fang, and now my two dwarf puffers named behemoth and goliath
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- Location: Bennett, Colorado
my sea star is dying
my chocolate chip starfish has been showing signs of death approaching. it all started last week i noticed that it wouldnt eat all its food and it would bend all of its arms back instead of just one like usual. i tested the water and the water and the nitrates were a little high (just above 20) but i planned on moving my fish from the ten gallon they were in into a 30 gallon. so i took out a piece of live rock and placed it into the new tank to bring down the nitrates and help cycle the other tank faster. i continued doing this for the rest of the week usually one piece every other day till i had it all in the new tank. then i transferred the hardiest fish first (my two damsels) into the new tank which had completely cycled but i wanted to be sure then i matched the salinity and temperature of the two tanks cuz i no starfish dont like big changes in that and i transferred the rest of my fish. later that day i noticed one of my hermits had started eating the leg of my starfish. i moved the two apart and put the starfish where the hermit couldnt get it, but i had had them housed together for over six months and the hermit had never tried to eat the starfish before. now today ive noticed that his arms look like there sagging and when i pick him up he doesnt go stiff like he normally would he just kinda flops around. the water parameters in the new tank are near perfect there is no nitrite or ammonia the ph is around 7.8 and the tankmates are a lawnmower blenny two damsels and three hermits. i have normally been feeding him shrimp pellets cuz he wont eat anything else except snails but i cant afford to buy him those.
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pufferfreak
- Mbu Puffer
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- Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:26 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location (country): U.S.A.
- Location: San Siego, CA
- Contact:
Re: my sea star is dying
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chocchipstars.htm
I might read that and see if it solves any of your problems. Can you give me your most recent water parameters.
I might read that and see if it solves any of your problems. Can you give me your most recent water parameters.
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
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- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
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T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Greenville, SC
- Contact:
Re: my sea star is dying
Inverts are very sensitive to ANY nitrate. You could try looking at my vitamin C thread. Only use the product recommended & you must have a skimmer.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"