Seastar spewing its guts

[darkcirca]

I think I'm having a bad week now with creatures.

A little closer here

Then I found some red on the ground too

I believe some of it is coming out the center of the front. Due to his placement on the tank I can't get a picture. He picked a corner that the camera just won't take well. It's a Red Fromia Seastar.
Ammonia and Nitrite are 0, Nitrate is 5ppm (or lower, doing water change now).
I tried looking up things but I haven't had much luck. I guess it's my turn for things to die as I haven't had any problems until this week!

On another comment, he has been moving around a lot, up to the top of the tank, sides and then back down, so he is still active.

 

[Germanman]

sea stars eat by tossing up their stomach on the food and "melting" it and then absorbing the nutrients...but the fact that pieces have come off and that it has not retracted and it dragging it along im afraid that it will most likely not make it. they should never be put into an aquarium that isnt mature i myself made that mistake before. they have no known food source and are hough to feed off the rocks...they almost always seem to not make it the fist week and if they do they will die within 6-14 months after purchase form malnutrition. modern technology has yet to discover a correct food fro forma and linkia stars...im currently struggling with my linkia and wish he the supplier just left them all in the ocean where they can feed. they can although be kept in older aquariums with lots of excellent microfauna. Dr. R. Shimek(well known invert zoologist) even says they are not fit for aquaria. all u can do is keep the water pristein and hope it may recover...but im afraid chances are very slim..i have never seen one that far recover im afraid...formas dont regenerate well in aquaria.

one q though did u let it touch air at all? or did the supplier?

 

[darkcirca]

The lady that took it out of the tank did, I think she was new, I've never seen her before. I wasn't sure at the time and read about it when I got home (before I put it in). I just emailed them asking about it and commenting how I noticed it starting to spew when I got home, and it just got worse overnight. I also told them how she took it out of the water. I want them to at least know that someone there doesn't know about that. I only trust 2 of the people at the LFS as they have given decent advice. I'm hoping one of them reads the email and realizes what happened. Just annoying someone made a screw up like that and now I have a $24 seastar that is dying.

 

[WeeNe858]

i heard that as long as your hands are "clean" and are wet with tank water .. then its ok to handle them... true or false?

 

[Germanman]

i heard that as long as your hands are "clean" and are wet with tank water .. then its ok to handle them... true or false?

true but if the star isnt ready to come out of water by itself the mandapore will not be closed and their entire water vascular system can become clogged and they will die.