Blue Linka ripped open?

[itsamanda]

Hi all,

I purchased a blue linka this past week. Acclimated slowly. Seemed to be doing great, but got lost in one of my rocks with a lot of holes. Yesterday I found him upside down next to the rock and he seemed to been flipping himself back over successfully. Today I found him in the same spot right side up, but seems like he is falling apart, as you can see in the attached pic. What could have caused this? Any chance you think the little guy will make it? anything I can do to help?


Params:

I have:
4 clowns
1 psuedochromis
1 6 line wrasse
1 horshoe crab
3 red legged hermits
5 blue legged hermits
Bubble coral
blue carpet anem
purple leather
zoas
xenias

Parameters:
Nitrates- 15 (I have never been able to keep them down to 0)
Nitrites-0
pH- 8.0
Phosphates- 0

 

[itsamanda]

I apologize for the blurriness, with the angle at which I had to take the picture, the glass makes it blurry

 

[PhxRob]

Those are very sensitive and are not hardy at all. Hard to tell could have anemone. How long has it been in the tank? Perhaps nitrates?

 

[Calappidae]

Starving, parasitic snails, slight water quality swing.. not that well suited for unestablished aquaria.

 

[OoNickoC]

Starving, parasitic snails, slight water quality swing.. not that well suited for unestablished aquaria.

^^^

They feed on the bacterial film that builds up over year in a reef aquarium. When they die (and most do prematurely) they fall apart and even untouched they look like something tore into them generally.

 

[itsamanda]

That's disappointing, my tank has been up for a year and I half, and never had a problem keeping critters. I heard these guys were very sensitive tho. He had only been in the tank a week and a half Looks like Im gonna have to look harder into my water quality. Its weird because I had a red spiny star that lived happily for like a year.

Are the red stars just as sensitive?

 

[OoNickoC]

Yes the red spiny species can live on a wider variety of food and are far more hardy. Many of the starfish sold as linkia have a bad chance of survival.

 

[mbingha]

Just an fyi your 4 clowns will eventually turn into two, and that housre shoe crab will either starve or grow to two feet in diameter LOL

 

[itsamanda]

thanks for the help guys. And actually ive heard that from some people, and them some not, saying how you find numerous of them in the wild together. ive had all 4, 2 black 2 orange since the very beginning, came from the same lfs tank. They have loved each other for a year and 7 months now, its pretty cool. Even when I got the carpet they seemed to work things out. It was taken over by the two black clowns, and the two orange seemed to mind their own business, no problems at all. Hopefully they stay this way

 

[itsamanda]

all oscellaris

 

[Calappidae]

Idk how that works with clowns eventually killing each other off.. but I've always pictured it like this.

All clownfish are born as males. One will be very aggressive and abuse the others becoming the female (I think we have a connection )

As they age I think the female kills them off.. friendly now and in the store.. but give it some years and divorce would be a good idea.