red knob starfish

Question
just got her few weeks, same signs sluggish moves around and her legs stay curled up. i also have a chocolate starfish to he eats good and he loves algae strips.i have tried shrimp clams, with the red knob she rejects hem doesnt look like shes eating at all. came in sat. noticed one of her knobs on top was bent over and has fell off i feed them once a week i am trying to get her to eat algae and i have put her on it she opens up her legs but will not open up her middle and she just goes on slowly... so concerned dont know what to try next...please help...note in my tank i have nemo, and angle fish,crabs and snails waht can i do for her.....

Answer
Hi Linda,

I do understand what you're going through, especially since these are such a beautiful sea star...

For now, you may want to separate your red knob starfish into a smaller but well prepared tank.

This will help out in many ways including:

It will keep your starfish from crawling under some rock-work in your main tank and dyeing, which would be detrimental to your water quality concerning your other fish and/or corals.

Here is some documented facts on them, that you may find useful in your situation:

The Red Knob Sea Star requires a large aquarium with pristine water and ample supplies of live rock. A small specimen will eat algae amongst other foods. As it grows older, however, it is not reef compatible, as it will eat soft corals, sponges, tubeworms, clams, starfish, and other invertebrates. It should not be housed with puffers. It is very sensitive to high levels of copper, therefore aquarium additives containing minor or major trace amounts of coppers in them should be avoided, including copper-based medications; also they will not tolerate high levels of nitrates.

The Red Knob Sea Star is very intolerant of sudden changes in oxygen levels, salinity and pH of the water. The drip acclimation method is highly recommended for all Sea Stars, due to their intolerability to changes in water chemistry. It should never be exposed to air while handling.

In the aquarium, the diet can consist of algae wafers, chopped clams, shrimp, fish, and squid fed a minimum of once a week.

*I wish you luck in all your saltwater aquarium endeavors!

Regards,
Dave

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