Add star or wait?

L

Lorena quinn

New member
I have my fish in a hospital tank bc of ich looking at adding a star fish but do I qt stars or add them straight to tank. I know it's best to qt everything but also know it's hard on the stars but don't want to contaminate my dt again ether.
 
What type of starfish?
In general starfish are best left to those with larger tanks and plenty of experience IMO...
Its one of those "if you have to ask.. you aren't ready" things for me ;)
 
hkgar said:
Wait, and Wait and wait some more until you decide against a star fish. The survival rate in reef systems is about zero. If you want a star consider a brittle star.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2585840
Click to expand...

I like having a brittle or serpent star in my tank. I find them to be great at cleaning up uneaten food, but avoid the Green Brittles. They are known to hunt sleeping fish. Very cool to watch, but when you then realize that it is trying to eat your prized (insert favorite fish here) it suddenly becomes not so cool.
 
Thank you all. Was looking and have done my research on blue linkia stars. But could find nothing about adding them straight to the tank or qt them first. Im aware of people saying there hard to keep alive but then see others post that they have had them for years. I will keep reading and watching videos to further my knowledge but would love to have one. I currently have no corals just fish live rock and a skunk shrimp. But have read that they are reef safe. Is there any one that has been successful with a blue linkia. Also looking at a blue tuxedo urchin.
 
If you have the algae to feed it or don't mind supplementing it's diet a blue tuxedo urchin is a great addition. Just be aware they are bulldozers in a tank and will pick up anything that isn't nailed down. When you do eventually add corals if you don't glue them securely they will become a fancy hat.

As for the blue linkia I agree with what everyone else said. They have a very high mortality rate in captivity and are best left in the wild. They require a really slow acclimation and are sensitive to changes in salinity among other things. What I have read the select few that have actually had success usually have very large tanks. If you do still decide later to get one a sand sifter, brittle, or serpant are good choices as mentioned.
 
You certainly do not want a linkia... IT will die..They do not do well in captivity at all and are basically dead man walking when you see them at the fish store..
 
The problem with linkia that people have had survive is they don't really know why it survived. That is a big red flag for me. You say you did your research, what have you learned? They are great looking stars for sure, but what has your research told you is their food source, what is the key to keeping them alive?
 
Most starfish better left in the sea. Some research may indicate that because they do not have a brain, they are incapable of adjusting outside of their natural environment. Most will not survive more than 1 year.
 
...and then it will slowly starve to death. The advice of not putting one in your tank is valid, do a you like but understand it will not last long. Purchasing one simply costs you money and encourages stores to continue to import them.
 
When we try to keep things that we are pretty sure will die we are not setting a good example for our hobby. "WE" are supposedly the specialists in this hobby and our future generations will judge us accordingly. Why we torture this creature is beyond me.
Let's stick with what works, buy captive bred when possible so we can all enjoy, and maybe pass on our hobby to,our children.
 
Uncle99 said:
Most starfish better left in the sea. Some research may indicate that because they do not have a brain, they are incapable of adjusting outside of their natural environment. Most will not survive more than 1 year.
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I dont think it has anything to do with having a brain. Neither does corals, anemones, clams, urchins and snails have brains.Corals and anemones have a neural net while clams, urchins and snails multiple ganglion but no brain. Starfish also have ganglia like their close relative urchins. Their low survivability is most likely due to starvation, as most reef safe starfish have specific and special diets.
 
Uncle99 said:
Some research may indicate that because they do not have a brain, they are incapable of adjusting outside of their natural environment.
Click to expand...

I think those researchers may not have a brain.. :lol:
Thats just silly talk and proven wrong on many fronts..
 
mcgyvr said:
I think those researchers may not have a brain.. :lol:
Thats just silly talk and proven wrong on many fronts..
Click to expand...

Both you and Tripod are very likely correct, there is a lot of theories of why StarFish do not survive long in captivity. Perhaps my understanding does not accurately reflect the writers intentions, as I am by far, not an expert on the issue. Its good to know that in the end, many experienced hobbists agree of the short term life span.
 
How long does a starfish need to survive in your tank before you can assume safely that it's eating and not starving to death? I have a few that have been in my tank about 14 - 16 months now depending, I presume it's safe to assume those starfish are doing fine?

(they're bigger than the used to be, and the one with a missing leg is regrowing it slowly but surely)
 
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