I was just at NWorld and was looking at some gorgeous dark purple linkia, but I am concerned about how long they live in captivity. How long have you guys had yours?
leslie, I never had any that lasted more than 3 months. Im not sure why, whether it was a red or blue they all met the same doom and most people I know havent been able to keep them for too long either. Id love to hear some sucess stories and how they kept them alive.
Leslie, I have a Linckia Multiflora in my tank for over two years. This seems to be the easiest of all the Linckias to sustain. The purples and blues are supposedly the hardest to keep alive. The reds SLIGHTLY easier.
These animals feed on an undisclosed food source. Some say it's a type of film/slime algae. Nevertheless, it is a food we can't manually provide. The best chance of success is with a very very mature tank.
The first pic is the mother in my tank.
The second pic is the baby, called a comet (for obvious reasons).
I've had my Linckia Multiflora for over 1 year. Like Russ, mine has dropped legs. I have 2 confirmed comets and a missing leg I hope shows up as a comet soon.
However, I'm not saying yours NEEDS to be that mature (always helps though). If you're pushing 9-10 months I think you can try a multiflora. I have purples available to HOF as well. We avoid them because of their mortality rate. It's one of those responsible vendor decisions we've made.
like russ and dean I've had a multiflora for over a year.
it's dropped a leg as well. I added a second one from the
last swap.
before the multiflora i had tried a blue linkia it lasted a few months.
this was before i knew better. imo the only linkia that should be sold
and kept is the multiflora.
I knew I remembered something about this . . . Leslie, if you have a minute, do a quick search on the MR forums for "linckia starve" Some good reading there. And here http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=592075 snagged from that thread
FYI to anyone reading this - all echinoderms - starfish, urchins, cucumbers etc. need a very long acclimation. According to the pocket guide for marine invertebrates, they have a complicated system of hydraulics rather than a circulatory system. Any quick change in salinity could literally burst their pipes! Just wanted to call it out as there was some debate in other threads about the need for acclimation.