blue linkia

[framerguy]

Well, I noticed last night that several of my coral were looked a bit off, so today when I got home from work I tested the NH4, NO2 and NO3 and came up with .04, .025 and 5 respectively so I figure somethings dead in there. There's nothing obvious but I can't find tne new blue linkia so I move the rock that's in front of my overflow just enough to look behind it and there's the blue star except he's more of a brown goo than blue. Yeah, he's dead and stinky. What the heck is it with these guys that I can't keep them. I KNOW I acclimated him correctly. The orange fromia is doing fine so far. Anyway, I'm giving up on the blues and will try a burgundy tamaria star next time. I believe that something is going on with the starfish imported lately. Every body that has starfish that is doing well with them has had them for a long time, years even. Has anyone gotten one lately and had any luck? If so, what do you have? How long? I wonder if collection practices have changed over the last three years.

 

[dobejazz]

From what I've heard the damage is usually done before you get them most collecters, wholesalers and LFS don't acclimate properly so it's pretty much doomed before you even buy it

 

[lcstorc]

Never had a linkia. I have heard they are difficult. My serpent stars are very hardy.

 

[vdituri]

From reading some of the posts on stars I would say it is in the collection practice. I wonder how many retailers have time to properly acclimate them.

 

[Rougiem]

Good advice from everyone.

Greg: How well established is your tank? I had a blue that did great until an abatement crew came into my room and killed my tank. My tank was 2 1/2 years old when I put it in and never had a problem with it. It is my feeling from what I have seen that an older tank seems to really help them. I say this as I had put a blue in our school tank which was not as established and it died rather quickly. I would be much more apt to put one in there now. I also had gotten both of mine from a similar source. I hope this helps you.

Cheers!

 

[tbittner]

Abatement crew killed your tank? Huh???

Oh man, that doesn't sound good...

I had a blue that seemed to be doing good for about a month, he was all over the tank. He withered up and died all within a couple days. I know now that my tank wasn't ready for it.

Some day...

 

[framerguy]

the tank was about 14 months old. I purchased two small red serpents also and they are doing very well! I know blue linckias are not hardy, but this one looked so healthy, fat, unblimished and deep blue so I thought I'd take a chance. It's unfortunate that stars are so difficult, they just scream REEFCREATURE to me!

 

[framerguy]

From reading some of the posts on stars I would say it is in the collection practice. I wonder how many retailers have time to properly acclimate them.

I know for a fact mine doesn't. I actually witnessed them "acclimating" their stars by floating the bag for 15 minutes and then releasing them!! I wouldn't think of buying a star from my local FS.

 

[chum]

Framerguy,About 3 years ago, i had a 6 inch beautiful blue linkia for over a half a year in a 55 gal. FOWLR. Then while rearranging some rock work, I didn't pay attention to where the guy was hanging out and found him three days later pinched to the side of the glass by live rock. I caused a slow, torturous, starving death of the poor guy and feel terrible for my carelessness. :away: He died rigid and stiff, not slimey or liquidy. I tried to find another one in our area for over a year, but couldn't find any. Too risky in its acclimation for shipping.

I would buy another one in a heart beat, except for the fact that my 55 gal. FOWLR now houses a choc. chip star, who is a voracious, greedy gut who would probably try to devour a blue linkia. My 65 gal. mixed reef, is so delicatley balanced, that I don't want to rock the boat just yet. Shimek says they need 100 gal. and seem to die from malnutrition. May be attacked by hermit crabs and several species of parasitic snails. I got rid of all my hermit crabs out of the mixed reef because they seems to pick on everything that was delicate. Did you have hermits?

 

[framerguy]

Thanks Chum, sorry about your blue guy, when things die on their own it's life, but when I cause it I feel just terrible! I'm surprised he didn't just detatch his arm and move on.
I've tried to banish all of my hermits to the refugeum but I think there's one blue leg still in the MT. I thought I'd gotten out all the bumble bee snails about 6 weeks ago, then I found one of them in the MT three days ago LOL, so they hide from me very well.
I don't know what it is with me and stars. I am doing well so far with my Fromia elegans (which was labeled as an Orange Linckia), any way, I'm still researching seastars to find out the most hardy species. I spent hours yesterday. I'll try to let you know what if anything I find.

 

[chum]

Framerguy, the blue guy that we had got pinched by a large rock right around his center disc and had no way of getting out.
But we have two serpent stars in the 65 mixed and just love them. Never leave the sand bend. They clean up at night after I feed the lps as some food drops to the bottom. Very hardy and dependable, never grow real big and stay hidden most of the time... just a good clean up crew since I got rid of my hermits. We've had them about 3 years and have done absolutely nothing for their care... except be careful in rearranging the live rock so that nothing falls on them.:smirk:
Good luck with your orange linckia. I saw one in the lfs over 10" long and it looked too large for our tank, though a spectacular specimen in the right tank. Wondering how big is your guy?