Any luck with Linkas?
- Thread starter snowman5373
- Start date
I have a blue linkia and it has been doing well for several months. I am sure others will chime in with more advice, but two things seem to be important here: 1. make sure you choose a healthy individual (no cuts or tears, and the arms look full) and 2. do not expose the linkia to air. At least from the observations of others, linkias that get exposed to air seem not to do well (this may be a coincidence, but it's not that hard to make sure any transfers of the sea star are done under water. You may want to describe your system in some detail so others can give advice.
DMC
DMC
My two year old blue just pasted on a few weeks ago. These critters need a large mature tank to really thrive. I guess mine just wasn't mature enough..
I do have a Tamari Stria thats doing very well but I wouldn't consider these to be 100% reef safe. I had one a few years ago that ate some shrooms so I gave it away, I wish this one would eat some shrooms
I do have a Tamari Stria thats doing very well but I wouldn't consider these to be 100% reef safe. I had one a few years ago that ate some shrooms so I gave it away, I wish this one would eat some shrooms
Heres my specs.
13 month 55 gal
Penguin 350 gal per hr flow ( ive put a custom head to cut down on the current because there was no adjuster and it seemed way to much for my 55 gal, things look better since then
magnum 350 pro filter ( Black Diamond Carbon)
260 watts compact lighting 2 65 watt actinic and 2 65 watt 10000k
florida crushed coral
100 lbs of figi rock ( wich 60 lbs has a dark brown coating, few spots of purple and white and cant get help on if its alive or dead and savable)
1.023 salinity
400 calcium (red sea)
alkalinity 3.2(red sea)
ph 8.0
nitrates<0.3
amonia 0
no phrosphate kit, but using reverse osmosis for water changes.
no protien skimmer, because I figure I have lots of critters to stir and eat things up.
13 month 55 gal
Penguin 350 gal per hr flow ( ive put a custom head to cut down on the current because there was no adjuster and it seemed way to much for my 55 gal, things look better since then
magnum 350 pro filter ( Black Diamond Carbon)
260 watts compact lighting 2 65 watt actinic and 2 65 watt 10000k
florida crushed coral
100 lbs of figi rock ( wich 60 lbs has a dark brown coating, few spots of purple and white and cant get help on if its alive or dead and savable)
1.023 salinity
400 calcium (red sea)
alkalinity 3.2(red sea)
ph 8.0
nitrates<0.3
amonia 0
no phrosphate kit, but using reverse osmosis for water changes.
no protien skimmer, because I figure I have lots of critters to stir and eat things up.
first.. get a skimmer.....
nothing will eat disolved organics... they are disolved......
Second you may need more water flow, and or more reef type lighting. not just the bulbs that came in the hoods,,, get a correct spectrum...... 3rd. need to add calcium for coraline....
Next....
Linkias are very fragile and need to be acclimated slowly....
So if you see one at a fish store. put it on hold and ask about how they were acclimated.
the only real good way to acclimate them is with a slow drip over a few hours.
When i get mine in at the store. they are put in a small bucket with their original water...... airline tubing is then put in the tank they will be going in, and in the bucket. i tie a knot at the end of the tubing. start a siphon, and let them drip slowly for 2 or 3 hours......... and you should do the same at home.
if the fish store dont give you enough water to put into a small bucket, ask for more, if they dont wanna give you a lil more water, then leave.
But always make sure they acclimated the star, and that you acclimate it!
nothing will eat disolved organics... they are disolved......
Second you may need more water flow, and or more reef type lighting. not just the bulbs that came in the hoods,,, get a correct spectrum...... 3rd. need to add calcium for coraline....
Next....
Linkias are very fragile and need to be acclimated slowly....
So if you see one at a fish store. put it on hold and ask about how they were acclimated.
the only real good way to acclimate them is with a slow drip over a few hours.
When i get mine in at the store. they are put in a small bucket with their original water...... airline tubing is then put in the tank they will be going in, and in the bucket. i tie a knot at the end of the tubing. start a siphon, and let them drip slowly for 2 or 3 hours......... and you should do the same at home.
if the fish store dont give you enough water to put into a small bucket, ask for more, if they dont wanna give you a lil more water, then leave.
But always make sure they acclimated the star, and that you acclimate it!
I have had a blue linkia for about a year on my 100 g. mixed reef tank. It Is very active and growing In size. The important thing to remember about Linkias is that they need to be acclimated carefully to your tank, especially if your salinity range is quite different from the host tank. Gradually acclimate the starfish over a 1-2 hour period by slowly adding your tank water to the bag. Also, Linkias are basically bacterial film feeders, so you don't want too many starfish feeding on your liverock at once. The tank in question should also be mature, which would allow enough food for the starfish.
The other posts give some good advice on the Linkia. They seem very sensitive with respect to acclimation. How is the algal growth in the tank? The linkias feed on algal films, and I imagine whatever critters are associated with them. So a healthy amount of algal growth seems to be needed by these guys. I noticed you said most of your live rock has a dark brown coating. This sounds like it might be cyanobacteria. You might want to make sure you have sufficient current in those areas of the tank where you see it. I am not sure if you have any media in your filters, but they simply serve as nutrient traps. The live rock can take care of biological filtration, you can limit mechanical filtration to occasional use of carbon. That actually brings a question to mind. Has anyone observed linkias eating cyano?
I have had good luck with the green linkia. It is mottled green, cream, and red with blue tipped arms. Mine is about three inches across in a 10 gal nano. He has been active in there for nearly a year. I did not acclimate him at all, just like I have never acclimated any of my inverts (here come the screams) (btw I have never lost anything except a gorgonian). I also believe the brighter the star, the harder it is to keep alive in captivity. In my logic, why would something be bright blue or bright orange for no apparent reason. There probably is a reason, and it either means the specimen is toxic or what is feeds on is that color. Evolution has probably taken its course and they are this color for camouflage. Therefore, they may feed on sponges or something else which is impratical in the aquarium. This is just my arm chair hypothesizing but it seems to hold true when you examine which specimins of stars, slugs, etc. one can keep
You haven't had success, so you ordered 3 of them???? This is somewhat strange logic?!?! Patience my friend! 
Unfortunately, though, I think you will continue to have trouble with them. Sorry to say it, but there are some factors which come into play in this opinion:
Your tank is marginal in size for most Linckia with the exception of Linckia multiflora which I believe sjfishguy has based on the size and coloration- though I don't know about them in a 10g, but 1 year is a critical mark, and it has worked.
For a blue, min tanks size, IMO, is a 100g with at least 100lbs of LR. Minimum. They are a big species. But for more, we must bump it up to at least a 150 min, with a good 175lbs of LR. 3??? Well you can see where we are going. The orange, purple and maroon, which are not generally true Linckia, may do slightly better because they are not quite as delicate, but they still need the grazing room and can be sizeable too.
Here is the catch. They all eat very similar things, algal, bacterial films, the animals that feed on them (more likely), or sponges, tunicates, etc. So, competition is bad bad bad...fatal, actually. They can not be spot fed, and do not eat macro algae or algae on the glass, etc.
I wouldn't suggest keeping a single blue Linckia in a 55g tank. I wouldn't suggest keeping two reef safe stars in that tank at all (unless they are the previously mentioned L. multiflora, which stay much much smaller and are much tougher). A single orange or purple, or a L. multiflora would be better options...but no guarantees.
The purple is typically Tamaria stria, and there is some debate over reports of it being predatory. Some have proposed that it is an individual problem. Some that it is a sick coral that they are attracted to, and some that the animal is starving, and looking for something...anything...to eat. Other people have no problems at all. The maroon is probably Echinaster luzonicus, typically a six armed species.
Many (most?) Linckia stars do not survive acclimation, which should be 4+ hours, minimum, using a drip method. But be sure that the container you drip into is also kept at tank temperature. Most die within a month after acclimation. A large majority of those that survive, die 8-12 months later, of starvation. I have heard of few blue Linckia surviving in this size tank more than a year...some have, in fact, died right on the mark at about 11 months. 1 year is the key time frame...anything before this should not be considered a success. Those that do, are in very mature (multi year) reef tanks packed to the brim with LR. There are exceptions of course, I won't rule it out. But not with 3 animals.
Apart from tank size, IMO, your salinity is on the low side. These really do much better at 1.025-1.026 specific gravity. Your pH, IMO, is also on the low side, and I would pay very close attention that it doesn't drop below 8.0 (you may wish to check it a number of times during the day). These guys really require pristine conditions within their ideal range.
I would suggest you only keep one of those stars, for best success. I virtually guarantee those three stars will not survive in that tank for 1 year. If they do, it will probably be some sort of record.
These stars reproduce readily in our tanks through arm drops. I recommend that people leave it to the stars to determine if there is enough food for another star, or if they are healthy enough to regenerate. They will not do this if conditions are not ideal for them.
I agree that you may wish to invest in a skimmer. Critters have nothing to do with that...it removes dissolved material which contributes to poor water quality.
Here is a good article on the Linckia stars:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... toonen.htm
Unfortunately, though, I think you will continue to have trouble with them. Sorry to say it, but there are some factors which come into play in this opinion:
Your tank is marginal in size for most Linckia with the exception of Linckia multiflora which I believe sjfishguy has based on the size and coloration- though I don't know about them in a 10g, but 1 year is a critical mark, and it has worked.
For a blue, min tanks size, IMO, is a 100g with at least 100lbs of LR. Minimum. They are a big species. But for more, we must bump it up to at least a 150 min, with a good 175lbs of LR. 3??? Well you can see where we are going. The orange, purple and maroon, which are not generally true Linckia, may do slightly better because they are not quite as delicate, but they still need the grazing room and can be sizeable too.
Here is the catch. They all eat very similar things, algal, bacterial films, the animals that feed on them (more likely), or sponges, tunicates, etc. So, competition is bad bad bad...fatal, actually. They can not be spot fed, and do not eat macro algae or algae on the glass, etc.
I wouldn't suggest keeping a single blue Linckia in a 55g tank. I wouldn't suggest keeping two reef safe stars in that tank at all (unless they are the previously mentioned L. multiflora, which stay much much smaller and are much tougher). A single orange or purple, or a L. multiflora would be better options...but no guarantees.
The purple is typically Tamaria stria, and there is some debate over reports of it being predatory. Some have proposed that it is an individual problem. Some that it is a sick coral that they are attracted to, and some that the animal is starving, and looking for something...anything...to eat. Other people have no problems at all. The maroon is probably Echinaster luzonicus, typically a six armed species.
Many (most?) Linckia stars do not survive acclimation, which should be 4+ hours, minimum, using a drip method. But be sure that the container you drip into is also kept at tank temperature. Most die within a month after acclimation. A large majority of those that survive, die 8-12 months later, of starvation. I have heard of few blue Linckia surviving in this size tank more than a year...some have, in fact, died right on the mark at about 11 months. 1 year is the key time frame...anything before this should not be considered a success. Those that do, are in very mature (multi year) reef tanks packed to the brim with LR. There are exceptions of course, I won't rule it out. But not with 3 animals.
Apart from tank size, IMO, your salinity is on the low side. These really do much better at 1.025-1.026 specific gravity. Your pH, IMO, is also on the low side, and I would pay very close attention that it doesn't drop below 8.0 (you may wish to check it a number of times during the day). These guys really require pristine conditions within their ideal range.
I would suggest you only keep one of those stars, for best success. I virtually guarantee those three stars will not survive in that tank for 1 year. If they do, it will probably be some sort of record.
These stars reproduce readily in our tanks through arm drops. I recommend that people leave it to the stars to determine if there is enough food for another star, or if they are healthy enough to regenerate. They will not do this if conditions are not ideal for them.
I agree that you may wish to invest in a skimmer. Critters have nothing to do with that...it removes dissolved material which contributes to poor water quality.
Here is a good article on the Linckia stars:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... toonen.htm
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