serpant star help book two

well i cannot figure out what is off! my nitrate level is 20ppm i dont think that would be high enough to hurt this creature but not sure, nitrite 0, phophate level is 0. PH is at 7.8 and has been a constant battle to keep it up. KH is 14, salinity 1.025. I dont have a magnesium test so not sure what its at or if it would even be a concerning factor. This poor creature has absolutley no legs left so i dont think he can find food. i have taken a pick so you can see for yourselves. I am going to see if i can find a copper test its the only thing i have not tested for. I pray that there is none!

 

Copper shouldn't be a contributing factor, unless you are using a medication with copper in it!
Is everything else in your tank doing ok?
Is there something that may be eating the star?
When do you test your pH? Day or night as you will receive different readings at day then you will at night!
Nitrates are not as crucial and dangerous as nitrites and ammonia for livesotck(more for food and algae growth)
As for feeding the star...see if you can place a chunk of food right by its side...if it is still fairly healthy, it should consume it by extending its stomach out of its body to capture it and then retract its stomach once this process is complete.
Sorry to hear about your star, though they can be very resilient...
Do you have a refugium or other tank you could move he star to to see if that helps?

 

no refugium as of yet i have been pondering the idea tho. well at first i thought it was another creature eating him but i witnessed a piece break off. i did place some mysis shrimp next to him the other day and he just crawled away from it. i do have two other starfish and they are doing just fine. i can add this tho, after acclimating this serpant to my tank he crawled into one of my rocks and did not come out for about three weeks. i had a snail die just recently and a slly lightfoot crab that was fine at night and belly up in the morning. this is why im thinking copper. but again i have a coral bandit shrimp that is perfectly fine in fact he molted a second time this month last night.

 

well i put some food next to him and nudged him on top of it we will see if he eats