HELP - My starfish has a HUGE hole in the head

[lilyicu]

My starfish has a HUGE hole in its head. It came out tonight and was curled up with the smaller red starfish and I thought that it had eaten my Mandarin by the way the hole looked. It has some blue and red coming out. But to my surprise I found my Mandarin swimming around. I kept looking at my starfish and the hole goes all the way through the bottom of his head. It looks like stuff is trying to come out. I am going to assume that it is not having a baby and that it is not mating with the smaller star. WHAT is wrong???? What is coming out???

 

[Bifferwine]

It's dying. Sorry, but it is :( Starfish fall apart like that when they are dying.

What are your nitrates?

 

[lilyicu]

I checked them after my water change on Monday and they were 5.

 

[Bifferwine]

That's not bad at all. Can you test for stray voltage?

Identifying, Locating and Curing Stray Voltage in a Saltwater Aquarium

 

[lilyicu]

I just checked them again and they are 10. I'm not sure how to test for stray voltage. If that is the problem - would it not be effecting my other fish and inverts?

 

[Bifferwine]

Maybe. Some animals are more sensitive than others. I've had that happen to starfish a couple times, and the culprit was either nitrates or stray voltage. That article I linked to explains how to check it. You need to buy a voltmeter from the hardware store (it'll cost $10 to $15), put the black probe in the ground in the wall (the round hole above or below the two square holes), and put the red probe in the tank and see if the meter jumps.

 

[yote]

I'm guessing along the same lines Biff.But double check your salinity to.

 

[Bifferwine]

Also, once it dies, the legs will still act like they are living. It's really creepy. The legs will move across the sandbed, will even catch food, even though they are just individual legs, not connected to a body. Like zombie starfish parts.

 

[lilyicu]

AHHHHHH - that is gross. Is there any chance he could survive? Should I just pull him out now?

 

[lilyicu]

Salinity is 1.025

 

[parrotchute]

just imagining zombie starfish legs is going to give me a nightmare. Thanks a lot biff.

 

[lilyicu]

Me too. I keep checking the tank to make sure that they are not chasing the other fish around.

 

[yote]

The odds are against him,but there is a SMALL chance the star could survive.

 

[Bifferwine]

The odds are against him,but there is a SMALL chance the star could survive.

Really?? You think? I don't think so. :)

 

[lilyicu]

He is just hiding out today. It has not gotten any worse yet.

 

[parrotchute]

he's going to start eating braaaaains

 

[yote]

Really?? You think? I don't think so. :)

HEY
A 1 in a million chance is still a chance aint it? :D

 

[dcantucson]

Could something have gotten a hold of it and eaten it?

Hey Biff there's always Hope. Let's keep Hope alive. :)

 

[bjohanson1234]

Could something have gotten a hold of it and eaten it?

Hey Biff there's always Hope. Let's keep Hope alive. :)

This coming from a guy whos first response to a coral that doesnt look good it TAKE IT OUT!!!!!!!!!:mrgreen:

 

[lilyicu]

I thought that maybe he had gotten a hold of one of my fish, but everything looks OK and nothing is missing. It was just very strange that the two of them were so intertwined together when I noticed the hole. I have never seen them like that before. Now they are back at their separate corners of the tank.