Tank
caretaker at GSO
•GSO
tank: "[last fall] in Dr Wessel's sea star tanks the
die off began and slowly rolled through the population (2 months) of the tank
while the tank next to it had no mortalities in its sea star community
•They
received the same water supply and the sea stars had been held for a couple of
years in the other tank. It would seem that the malady is not readily
vectored by the sea water. Also, both tanks experienced low flow events
from time to time (obstructed valve) where they probably experienced low DO and
an increase in temperature.
•One
could see ahead of time the onset of the malady where the arm(s) would become
irregular in shape and become narrower close to the body. Eventually, the
arm(s) would detach from the body but seemed to "live" for a couple
days; evidenced by moving tube feet
•Upon
death the arm(s) or what was left of the body would flatten and begin to
disintegrate. I did see a lesion on the top side of an arm where the flesh had
"blossomed" into a 1/2 diameter dome and had a cauliflower type
appearance
•Upon
touch it was very soft and this consistency extended into the flesh of the arm
much like a rotten spot on fruit.
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