Orange Linkia Starfish - Dissapeared

[gummi]

I have/had a BRIGHT orange linkia starfish about the size of my palm in my tank. I haven't seen him in about 3 - 4 weeks...

I checked everywhere (overflow, show tank, sump, behind rocks with a mirror) and he's nowhere to be found. he's too big and bright to miss...

Does anyone have any ideas????

couldn't have been eated: tankinhabitants are 2 clowns, 1 small yellow tang, 1 lyretail anthias, 1 seagrass wrasse, snails, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 small orange marble sea star...

[Finding Emo]

I'm not sure if this is possible...but could he have buried himself in the substrate?

[jetta]

I think when stars die they kind of disinegrate. It probably just died, linkias don't usually survive long in a home aquarium.

[gummi]

highly doubt it. too big and not enough substrate behind rocks. infront.... i would have seen him...

idont htink these guys burrow either

[gummi]

They disintegrate? Unless they are tiny rubble-sized chunks not sure this is a possibility...

But thanks for the info. I guess I'll just assume a death. My ammonias were at 0.5ppm so maybe there is a rotting carcass in there somewhere.

[Lee_Bay]

They usually disintigrate within a couple of weeks. don't know of anyone able to keep them longer, although i have heard of the rare occasion where they last longer, but VERY rare.

[cpandrewschmidt]

I think the key is lots of rock and stable conditions. I've had mine for about a year now. About 6 months in a 75 gallon and another 6 in my new 180 gallon. It appears to have done well. I did go bare bottom in this new tank so if something in the sand was feeding it I hope it can find food in the rock. But all and all still going strong. Not much help here but though I would share my experience

Andrew

[ninjamini]

They usually live either 1 month or up to one year in our tanks.

1 month is what happens from poor acclimation

6-10 months is starvation.

How long did you have him? When they die they disintegrate over the course of a week or so. Less time if you have a big clean up crew.

[Aquabucket]

A half dozen good sized bristle worms could make that linkia disappear almost overnight.

[Fischer's Angel]

I agree with both ninjamini and aquabucket - I have kept a different species of linckia - L.Multiflora - for 2 or 3 years without problem. They are easy to care for as no special feeding is required, but they do need to be acclimated CAREFULLY, or they die easily IME.
Two possibilities - a) The linckia died, and disintegrated (yes they turn into kind of a powdery mess and dissappear fairly quickly if you have a decent clean-up crew.) or b) The linckia has squeezed itself into a crevice in your rockwork, and you just haven't found him - I once had a linckia almost 4 inches across squeeze itself into an opening in a rock no bigger than a penny!
I wish you luck, maybe he's still with you!