Help with Brittle Starfish

Today I found my Brittle Starfish of about 3 years with several missing limbs, at first I thought it was dead but when I picked it up it started moving. I don't know what happened, but I recently transferred it to a knew tank, also I have added several members to my clean up crew including snails, peppermint shrimp, emerald crabs, procelin crabs, red blue and zebra hermits. Could these have been the collaborates?

 

In an enclosed environment where food may be lacking, there's always a potential for CuC members to turn on each other or other tankmates. Most crabs, hermits, and shrimp have been known to become opportunistic and kill snails, brittle/serpent stars, fish, and coral in tanks that are too clean. OTOH, when a sea star is starving, they tend to die very slowly, usually falling apart before they're completely dead. Have you been target-feeding any of them?

 

Brittle stars will eat there own legs to survive longer when food is not available. Being a new tank, parameter issues can cause it as well. Try giving him a piece of shrimp and make sure you have good water quality.


-Alex-

 

I checked my water parameters and they all appear fine, lack of food could be the colporate but i've been feeding everyone on a daily basis with pieces of shrimp for the bottom dwellers, nori for the algae eaters, and flake food to fill in the gaps. Now the serpent star has completely disappeared no trace found, but there hasn't been any other problems. Should I try adding another?