Help on Blue Linkia starfish.

[JamesJR]

I am in the middle of planning a new reef tank and would like some advice on how to care for the blue linkia stars. I understand the trick is in how you acclimate them but how is this to be done?

[Yum Cimil]

The problem is that when you get it you don’t know how it was handled at the store, or on the way to the store. Most stores float and dump. No time to acclimate a big shipment. Unless you get lucky, most are going to die when you buy them, no mater what you do.

[JamesJR]

That is a shame. Anyway to get them directly? You know of a good source for them?

[JamesJR]

anyone?

[Broreefr]

I have had one successfully in my tank for several months now. It is true they are reccommended for a slow drip acclimation and to not be exposed to the air, but I think the main issue with them dying is from possible damage during shipping, so its best to get one locally so it can be inspected. If no lfs then Foster & Smith is a safe bet.

The ones that die after a few months have probably starved. Their specific diet is still a mystery so an established tank or refuge is best - hope this helps

[ckoral]

I have an orange linkia since march now. It has been doing great until this last month. It seems to be starving because it is drastically shrinking in size. I don't know what to feed him. I am thinking about taking him to my buddy's established system. I sure wish we knew how to feed them.

[ophiuroid]

Before you consider one, what tank size are you getting? How much LR...acclimation is only the first half of the problem. Acclimation shock sets in within a month of introduction (or any major tank shock - crash - etc). Starvation sets in within 12-18 months.

Success for less than 18 months only indicates it has made it past acclimation.

They DO NOT in general take to spot feeding and if not in a large enough system, frequently starve. The best odds are in tanks over 100g with 200lbs of rock as an estimate. The more rock, the more chance of success.

[JamesJR]

Yeah, I knew they didn't take to the spot feeding but a minor question I was wondering is if anyone had had any long term successes with them. I was planning on using my 60 gallon and trying a really small starfish. I still haven't set it up yet bit I am definately still considering a lot of angles about how it should be done.

[JamesJR]

any of the other linkia or paralinkia stars do okay?

[Peter Eichler]

Do yourself and the starfish a favor, just leave them in the ocean.

[ophiuroid]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8159029#post8159029 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JamesJR
Yeah, I knew they didn't take to the spot feeding but a minor question I was wondering is if anyone had had any long term successes with them. I was planning on using my 60 gallon and trying a really small starfish. I still haven't set it up yet bit I am definately still considering a lot of angles about how it should be done.

One thing is critical. Do not assume that a small starfish is suitable for such a tank. Fromia milleporella, for example, is often tiny....but its diet is so specialized, perhaps more so than a Linckia, that nearly all are doomed in smaller tanks. I literally see them the size of a half dollar...but even so, their diet is hard to satisfy.

The only possible Linckia that might stand a chance - once this is a fully MATURE reef tank (at least a year old, IMO) with pristine water quality and lots of live rock (a good 75-100lbs) is Linckia multiflora. None of the others, IMO, stand more than a marginal chance. THe blue would absolutely be out, the orange might stand a chance but I wouldn't recommend it. The tank would be at the bottom end if anything. But Linckia multiflora might stand some chance.

This being said, I would generally concur with the above statement to leave them in the ocean.

[Kent E]

I think that the tank should at least be 300 gallons, even then I'm not sure. I'll let you know how a blue does in a 450.

[JamesJR]

yeah, I knew the fromias do terrible as well as do most of the linckias. I had read a couple of books on the subject of various starfishes. I have been researching them a while. but I don't think tank size is the answer to keeping them.

[ophiuroid]

Tank size specifically has little to do with it, you are correct, but in general it is correlated to amount of LR you can get in...which definitely does seem related to keeping them as they feed on it. In addition, water parameter stability is crucial, which is tied in some respect to tank size.