Blue Linkia issues

[tashier]

I've had a blue linkia star for over a year in my tank. He's always done real well since I figured out to really maintain the salinity closely. That was the #1 issue. All of his little white spots went away and he was real healthy. He's always been shy and stayed in the rocks when the lights came on though.

Well he's not looking good these last few weeks. He doesn't have any arms disolving or anything like that. BUT it's like only his suckers are alive and can't move his arms any more. Right now he's hanging upside down under a rock only attached by his center. All of his arms are drooped down. Sometimes he can manage pulling his arms up with his suckers but never for very long. Poor guy. I dunno what the issue is. My calc reactor ran out of CO2 and my alkalinity dropped but that's been fixed. Not sure what his problem is or if he'll ever pull out of it. He did lay on the bottom of the tank upside down for about 4 days without moving until I flipped him over.

[partobe]

thats sad sorry I cant help but hopefully someone will chime in good luck

[Twitterbait]

the alk probably had a part but you may try feeding him some nori or mysis. he may be hungry

[Doug1]

Bummer, have you had any salinity swings in the tank lately ?

[tashier]

Originally Posted by Doug1

Bummer, have you had any salinity swings in the tank lately ?

no

[tellycoleman]

How do you effectivly feed blue linka stars?

[wyliecoyote]

could it just be old?

[Nyles]

The linkia will feed on Film algae, thats about it in my tank, he will wander 6 feet per 4 hours looking for food. Keep your levels good and stable... its all you can do at this point, make sure you have stability in your ph, I have had no3 and the linkia could care less, but changes in ph and alk really make this guy mad. Good luck but from the sound it sounds like lack of food but its just a poor guess from the small description you gave.

[crvz]

Though it seemed healthy, it could easily have been that the starfish had been starving. I know those guys have pretty terrible reputations for long lifes in aquaria, and maybe it was consuming the film algae at a rate higher than it could be replinished? I've got a fromia starfish and am a little worried of the same thing, though this first month seems to have gone quite well.

[tashier]

Originally Posted by wyliecoyote

could it just be old?

I doubt its age. I saw a blue linkia in the store probably 8" in diameter. Way bigger than mine.

[buzard200]

I have had 1 in my tank for over a year and is at least 10" across. My water lever drops 2 -3 inches and I sometimes neglect to do water changes and mine motors all over all the time. A couple of weeks ago I noticed a couple of chunks taken out of his legs and he healed just fine. Sometimes he will go in under the rocks for days and then comes out just fine. Give yours some time...maybe he found something good to much on and doesnt need his legs right now.

[ChrisPrusha]

I've has 2 blues, and each has lived for 3+ years.

It sounds silly, but every six months I'd get a fresh new piece of LR online, and he'd be all over it.

That could be complete coincidence, though.

[tdwyatt]

How about some pix of the tank in general???

I concur with Chris, becuse I think it is starving. Get it a big fresh new chunk of LR (unured or with lotts of alge, etc growing on it) and put a piece of nori wrapped around a piece of reef rubble with a rubberband to see if it wil eat.


Not trying to be snide, but of course, it may be sick, it may have some parasite, it may be old: this is like trying to diagnose an illness for a patient over the phone while you tell me that "he doesn't feel well..." I have never personally had one do as you're describing, although I have had others desecribe these same symptoms. It could be any number of things, but not knowing anything about the condition of the tank, how long it's been set up, substrates in the system, more specifics about the specimen in question, other competitors for the biofilms in the tank, etc. nor how you husband the system leaves most of us to guessing.

Most Linckia spp need well-estblished aquariums with a minimum of 6 sq ft of bottom, preferably with a sand substrate and about 50 or 60 lbs of good porous live rock that has good coralline algae growth over at lease 50% of the live rock surface (usually an indication that good biofilm growth is occurring). It should be lighted a normal 12 hour photoperiod with enough intensity to provide autotrophic growth of "grazing" biofilm, and limited competition for these same biofilms (snails, crab, other similar seastars, etc.). The bit about rock solid steady salinities deals with the issue of the hydrovascular system's susceptibility to swings in salinity rupturing these delecte membranes whenever there are continuous issues with the salinity (and I suspect that it is part of the reported issue with pH and alk swings with there little beauties as well, use my name and Linckia to search the forums for threads on the specifics). I have had several specimens live for more than 8 years (one for 12 years now) under these circumstances, only had one shrink in size when I tried to keep 4 individuals in a 180 gallon reef system, or during a period when I tried to keep 2 in a BB 180 gallon system for a few years (I have pix here somewhere on film of the loss in size). This has been my personal experience with these seastars, not a series of documented growth studies. They are some of my favorite sea creatures. I must add that I have never seen them take nori a a food substance, although it makes sence that they would feed on it.


HTH

[fish.freak]

Are you keeping up with water changes, iodine comes to mind after feeding issues

[tashier]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

the alk probably had a part but you may try feeding him some nori or mysis. he may be hungry

Hmm, I didn't see this earlier.

#1 how do you feed a starfish
#2 do they eat nori or mysis?