[xmoltisantix]

i feed my harlequin serpent star once a week ..is that enough? he gets probaby half of 1 of those frozen cubed mysis shrimp

 

[Hop]

I have two serpent stars in a 190 gallon tank/300 gallon system and I never feed them anything special. They are thriving doing what the do... Scavenge

 

[jenglish]

Most stars will survive just off what the fish miss if you are feeding them.

 

[xmoltisantix]

how often do you see urs out with ur lights on.. i know hes nocturnal but i see mine out at least once a day! and what parameters would help a linkia thrive and is a particular color more hardy?

 

[jenglish]

I generally only see his tentacles sticking out from under a rock most of the time. When I put a meaty food in the waters it comes out in a hurry

 

[xmoltisantix]

mine comes out wheni have to put my hand/arm in the water..maybe he wants to eat me! and any advice on linkia stars?

 

[jenglish]

I never had a linkia but I hear they are hard to keep.

 

[Jnicho]

90% of Linkia's are doomed before you even open the bag (very poor shippers/acclimaters)...they also have a rather specific diet...as for serpent stars, they will get enough to eat scavenging, but you can give them a "treat" from time to time if you want...I prefer a chunk of table shrimp or other meaty food.

 

[Loverotties]

90% of Linkia's are doomed before you even open the bag (very poor shippers/acclimaters)...they also have a rather specific diet...as for serpent stars, they will get enough to eat scavenging, but you can give them a "treat" from time to time if you want...I prefer a chunk of table shrimp or other meaty food.

I second this!

 

[xmoltisantix]

i would buying the linkia from my area coral store...could this help since the linkia is not shipped?

 

[Doug1]

i would buying the linkia from my area coral store...could this help since the linkia is not shipped?

Ummmmmm it was shipped to the store. How it was handled once they receive it will determine how well it fares after the long trip. The issue with stars is that the mechanism that they use to move around is a fairly complex bio-hydraulic system that they have evolved that is extremely sensitive to changes in salinity and such, some stars are much more delicate and it seems that a lot of Linkii species fall into that category. If it has been at the shop for a while and seems to be doing well, that may or may not indicate how well it will do in the long run, as often the damage seems subtle and may take a long while to manifest. Drip acclimation for extended periods like 12+ hrs seems to help avoid osmotic shock, but I doubt many shops do that, if you really want one you might be better off to have the shop order on in and than arrange to take possesion in bag when it arrives and acclimate it yourself, but it's a gamble still

 

[Jnicho]

i would buying the linkia from my area coral store...could this help since the linkia is not shipped?

No offense, but how do you think it got from the South Pacific to your LFS, LOL? In a bag of water via LAX. In all seriousness, IMO that is one more acclimation that had to be made, thus lowering the chance of survival that much more...I would actually feel better getting one shipped straight to my door from the wholesaler at LAX...it can take weeks before they start looking bad, and very few make it more than a few months...IMO their mortality rate is so high that they are on the "do not buy" list.

 

[xmoltisantix]

ummmmmm ok...thx 4 help