Starfish

[Long Time Beginner]

I would like to keep starfish but I've had two linckia starfish die and I'd like to figure out what I'm doing wrong. The first one, a blue one, I added to my tank when it was about 4 months old. it lasted 2-3 days and then died. The second one, an orange one, I added about 10 days ago (my tank is about 8 months old now). It lasted a little over a week, then died.

What could I be doing wrong? I have lots of little hitchhiker starfish (the little 1" ones that some people say aren't reefsafe). Those multiply like crazy in my tank and seem to thrive. I also have several fish, shrimp, snails, and hermits, many of which have been in there for 6 months or longer. My water parameters all test okay too, so I'm not sure what else to look for.

Do I need to specifically feed linckias? I haven't been spot feeding them at all. My tank has a good amount of algae for grazing and I regularly feed phytoplankton, pellets, mysid, and flakes, some of which make it to the bottom.

The only other thing I can think of is that maybe I'm not acclimating them correctly. I don't remember what I did for the blue one but for the orange one, I floated the bag for about a half hour, then cut it open and let it float open for another hour or so, adding a couple table spoons of tank water every 5 minutes or so. When the bag got full, I removed some water and continued. I've heard about "drip" acclimating but I'm really not sure how to do this without putting the starfish in a seperate container where the temperature won't stay the same as the tank.

Any other advice would be appreciated!

 

[johnb0184]

did you let them hit the air? I have always heard that they can not touch the air. Also did you have a salinity or temp swing. That will also cause them to perish. I think they are a risky invert in the first place, where you have to get lucky. I have a blue one that i got in september and he seems okay but im keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[tryffin]

I usually float the bag in the sump, with water dripping into the bag (via air tube and valve) about 1 drip per second, for about 3-4 hours ... also you should have an airstone in the bag to aerate the water.

If you empty half the water from the bag now and then, it'll dilute the store water until it's negligible, and like johnb said, it's best to move them underwater and not let the air touch them.

Linckia are the most difficult, esp. the blue ones. Maybe better to start with a Fromia, one of the smaller ones. Sea stars also like full strength salinity... there's some good info on <a href="http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seastars.htm">wetwebmedia</a>.

 

[kjmst29]

They can touch air. You're thinking of a sponge, which cannot.

What's your salinity? I am around 1.023 - 1.025. Get a refractometer to get an accurate, temperature adjusted reading. Your salinity cannot have a large swing. When adding fresh water due to evaporation, do it away from the starfish.

I use the drip method for everything, but you should especially for inverts.

I feed mine either a scallop, fresh cleaned squid or oyster about once per week. Remove whatever they don't finish. You'll know when they are done when they move. Sometimes it takes a day for them to eat. You can get the food for about $.10 at a grocery store. Sometimes it is so light it does not register on the scale and I get it for free.

 

[Im14abeer]

From what I read, blue linkas are near impossible because no one "really" knows what they eat. For any starfish, drip acclimation is mandatory. I recently added a fromia and drip acclimated it for 6 hrs. and some people don't think that's long enough. Changes in salinity messes with their water vascular system, to quick and it's curtains.