which brightly colored starfish?
- Thread starter skraj011
- Start date
greenbean36191
Premium Member
Your best bet is Linckia multifora. The only other species you should probably even consider is Linckia laevigata, though they're much harder to keep.
iamwhatiam52
New member
I've been wanting to keep a star too, so I'll get a Linckia multifora for my 180.
What are their needs, and are there any potential dangers of keeping one in a mixed up reef?
Only other problem is that most LFS will have no idea what species they are offering. I can imagine the conversation now..............
"What kind of star is that?"
"Blue."
"Blue."
iamwhatiam52
New member
Nevermind....... I just looked them up and don't care for the mottled pattern. Looks like a starfish with measles.
greenbean36191
Premium Member
Fromia are much harder than Linckia. They do very well, up until the point that they starve to death about a year or two down the road.
Linckia aren't easy, but they're the only true sea stars (other than Asterina) that do well in captive reefs. L. multifora is far and away the easiest species. It does well and even reproduces quite readily in tanks as small as 50 gallons. Most of the other species are significantly harder to keep but can still do well given an appropriate tank.
For any sea star you should try to keep sg stable and above 1.025. With Linckia you also need to have a large, established tank full of LR for them to graze. For L. multifora, as little as 50 lbs of rock is usually fine. For all other species you should really have over 150 lbs for the best chance of success.
It's also important to make sure you get a healthy animal to start with, which is sometimes the hardest part since they're often mishandled in shipping and the damage from that won't become apparent for some time later. When you buy a star, look for one that's uniformly plump. If there are any areas that look sunken, wrinkly, discolored, swollen, or soft, pass on that star. Avoid any with open wounds, no matter how small. Also, it's best to make your assessment after the star has been at the shop for a few weeks since it takes that long for damage from shipping to become apparent. If you can get the shop to hold it for 2 weeks that would be good, but 4 weeks is much better. Buying one that has just come into a shop or sight-unseen via a mail order vendor is a major crap shoot.
Once you do buy one, be sure to acclimate it very slowly since they're among the animals most sensitive to changes in salinity.
Linckia aren't easy, but they're the only true sea stars (other than Asterina) that do well in captive reefs. L. multifora is far and away the easiest species. It does well and even reproduces quite readily in tanks as small as 50 gallons. Most of the other species are significantly harder to keep but can still do well given an appropriate tank.
For any sea star you should try to keep sg stable and above 1.025. With Linckia you also need to have a large, established tank full of LR for them to graze. For L. multifora, as little as 50 lbs of rock is usually fine. For all other species you should really have over 150 lbs for the best chance of success.
It's also important to make sure you get a healthy animal to start with, which is sometimes the hardest part since they're often mishandled in shipping and the damage from that won't become apparent for some time later. When you buy a star, look for one that's uniformly plump. If there are any areas that look sunken, wrinkly, discolored, swollen, or soft, pass on that star. Avoid any with open wounds, no matter how small. Also, it's best to make your assessment after the star has been at the shop for a few weeks since it takes that long for damage from shipping to become apparent. If you can get the shop to hold it for 2 weeks that would be good, but 4 weeks is much better. Buying one that has just come into a shop or sight-unseen via a mail order vendor is a major crap shoot.
Once you do buy one, be sure to acclimate it very slowly since they're among the animals most sensitive to changes in salinity.
