Blue Linkia

macDRE · #1 04/17/2006, 03:44 PM

I wanna get a blue linkia starfish.I heard there very hard to keep then i hear there easy.What is it?My tank has at least 75 pounds of LR in a 55 gallon tank.And my tank has been up for a year and a couple of months now.

adnup · #2 04/17/2006, 04:56 PM

Mine lasted TWO days! I think the crabs ate it......

Snowsrfr · #3 04/17/2006, 05:33 PM

I've heard the key to keeping them is they need to be acclimated for a long time before being introduced. I had one that I acclimated for about 6 hours and he lasted about a month.

lvpd186 · #4 04/17/2006, 05:53 PM

Its my understanding that besides the acclimation it is really difficult to tell if the starfish has been injured from being captured or how it was transfered. I read somewhere that it takes some time for the starfish to start showing how bad off it is and whether or not it is going to live. Probably just long enough for it to die after you bring it home.

Avi · #5 04/17/2006, 06:14 PM

My experience with Linkia Starfish has been good. Not good with a Fromia I bought, but the three Linkias (orange, purple and blue) that I have in my reef are healthy, and fairly long lived. If your water conditions are good then try one, macDRE. Generally, a tank that's settled in with plenty of live rock will serve you well with them. I got the first of the three when my reef was just about eight months old or so, so I think your tank is old enough. I take the standard advice when it comes to them....don't remove from water...don't handle with your hands...and drip acclimate for at least three hours...Also, make sure that if you do buy one, that its color is strong and it's completely clear of any blemishes anywhere on its body. Here's what they look like now:

bertoni · #6 04/17/2006, 06:23 PM

The diet of these animals isn't well known, so I think they're a gamble. I wouldn't try one in a smaller tank, but some people do get lucky. Otherwise, they tend to last maybe a year or less, I'd guess, from the comments.

The slow drip is a fine idea, but it should be designed so that the water in the bag, etc, reaches the salinity of the tank, which means removing some water along the way. I've heard too many tales of people acclimating for hours and just doubling the volume of water, which moves the SG only halfway to that of the tank, so excuse me if this point is already obvious.

macDRE · #7 04/17/2006, 06:48 PM

Avi:How long have you had the linkias? And i was thinking that too what bertoni said.How did you acclimate?

macDRE · #8 04/17/2006, 06:57 PM

Also i heard that orange linkias are easier than blue linkias to have.Is that true?

smcnally · #9 04/17/2006, 07:14 PM

I have a blue. I temp acclimated it for about 2 hours while slowly adding tank water. It has been in my tank for a month now and seems to be doing well. It hasn't reduced in size at all and actively roams the tank. BTW, has anyone seen a 6 legged one before? Mine has 6 legs. Here's a picture:

Avi · #10 04/17/2006, 08:06 PM

I know that a lot of people do think that the Linkias aren't good candidates for reefs. I can only say with regard to that....I've seen growth and I've seen limb regeneration.....

Quote:

Originally posted by macDRE
Avi:How long have you had the linkias? And i was thinking that too what bertoni said.How did you acclimate?

My orange Linkia, which I've had just about a year and a half had suffered damage to one of its "arms" by it getting into the empeller of a Seio 1100 (which prompted me to put the cover back on.) I didn't know what to do but chose to make a clean cut with a single edge razor to remove the damaged "arm." You can see in the photos that it's completely grown back and totally recovered. A full inch had been cut off. IMHP, this Starfish has to have been getting the nutrition it needs for it to have had complete recovery like that.

I've had the purple Linkia for about a year now, maybe slightly longer...I don't know exactly, and the blue is the newest of them, which I've had for about five months.

I acclimated each of the three using a slow drip through some airline tubing from the main reef directly into the bag that the Starfish came from the fish store in.

jim293 · #11 04/17/2006, 09:50 PM

I cannot keep the blue ones alive more than a few weeks. All the other colors no problem. I guess it is just hit or miss.

bertoni · #12 04/18/2006, 01:24 AM

I'm not sure the "purple Linckia" is a Linckia. I thought they were actually Tamaria spp. I'm not sure about the orange, either. Maybe Linckia multiflora?

Avi · #13 04/18/2006, 08:06 AM

I think you might be right from what I could find on the Purple one being Tamaria spp. I would add though, that the three different ones that I have appear to behave identically. Of course, I can't say that about what they eat because I've never been able to observe any of them eat something in particular. They're all generally nocturnal, but there are, on the other hand, plenty of times when they do come out and are all over the tank in the daytime.