How can you tell a starfish is dead? (pic)
 

Just wondering how you can tell a starfish is dead, he has some gross brown stuff comming out of his top, and hasnt moved all night, any advice?

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r...6/PA111346.jpg

that would be poo

Pick it up of it is limp he is done for.

Be ready with a bag, because the last dead star fish I pulled out had an odor that I can only compare to a punch in the face... I can still taste it to this day..

so from what i understand, rigid = alive?

pretty much if it stinks and is and is all mushy he's done

iv seen so many stars die, hes looks on his way out. does he look kind of bumpy in some places or has divits, theres not much you can do.

Yeah im failry sure he croaked, hasnt moved in over 24 hours, tips kinda disintegrating, covered in a mucousy slime.... shame he was nice looking.

how long did you have him for?

one day, sad i know, my other star fish wasnt anything like him, he took off right after putting him in, and ive had him now for like a year...:sad:

Starfish
 

Flip him upsidedown, if he can flip him self back he still alive/healthy if not, he is not healthy anymore.

I would guess that you might not have acclimatized it enough to your tank.
starfish are one of the most delicate inverts for any change in water condition. Linkias I find are the worst.( I kill an entire shipment of over 20 once because I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to properly acclimatize them)
like the others said, you will definitely be able to smell it if it is dead for a while....
I now spend at least 3 - 4 hours acclimatizing them with a air hose in a slow drip into their container. I then float that container after that so that it is the same salinity and same temperature.

HTH
Neal

unfortunately most starfish slowly starve to death over the course of a year or two.

i think I disagree with that.
I know that whenever I put the dried algae, the stafish are all over it.