Linckia starfish

Does anyone have any experience with the Linckia starfish. Are they realy reef safe, how big do they get, what are the requirements. I'm thinking for down the road, not for the new tank. Thank you.

 

IMO linkas' need a large established tank to do well long term. They do well for many months but I believe unless the tank has a lot of LR and is a couple years old they eventually and slowly starve to death.

Stable water parameters as they are very sensitive to changes or swings in salinity or pH. Some get fairly large, I would think 5-7 inches is in the ball park.

I think they are just beautiful, red, blue, purple, but I myself would not get one because I just do not think they do well long term. JM2C

 

That's kind of what I was thinking. Thanks

 

Well maybe someone else can chime in with a more positive review of them long term.

I attempted them twice, both times in large tanks 120 gal and a 200 gal. Both looked healthy and seemed to be doing well but started a slow decline around the 6 month mark. They are just so stunning, it was a dis-appointment that I could not keep them alive.

 

Agree with Corailline 100% on this one. I've never heard anything contrary to what's been stated. They are very difficult to sustain as we don't know with certainty what they eat.

 

i have a blue linka in my tank have had it for 5 months now. my tank is 6-7 months old. i am a over feeder ( for my hungry fish) besides my over feeding my fish frozen food, i have added live pods 3 times now. not sure if thats why i have done so well with it in this small tank? it seems just as healthy today as the day it arrived. i think once they are acclimated the linkas are hardy.

my tank i had a few years back i also had a blue linkia in it. i had the linka for over a year and than i took the tank down. a friend took the linka from my tank he had it for a bit over two years till it died. but he also told me had not been taking care of his tank properly when this happened. so that linka lived in captivity well over 3 years. he has a 55 gallon tank and i had a 58 gallon at the time.

 

it is thought that Linkia starfish eat bacteria... there is one guy who does exotic invert species only tanks, (ie. Harlequin shrimp, exotic sponges, and Linkias) he kept a pair of blue linkia's for about 5 years or so in a 75g tank. they are VERY hard to keep longterm and i would never try to keep one. while beautiful, somethings just deserve to stay in the oecan.

 

i run a uv sterilizer and add live bacteria weekly. i use the optimizer my tlc. i do it because of being over stocked. i recently added a reactor with matrix that will help with bacteria. and i will cut back on the tlc to monthly.

the tank i had a few years ago i did not add bacteria. but i turned my uv off after a few months, this tank i plan to leave the uv on.

i have not found them hard to keep. if they last past the week they do well. i feel a lot of them are mis-handled in capture and by the fish stores. and when they are you see it with in the week, in your tank.

honestly i dont know what the linka eat. i have read they eat clam meat. i have always feed my fish frozen food. rarely do i feed flake

 

Extreamly hard to keep!!!

 

IMO linkia's are the most delicate of an already extremly delicate species. the clam meat is a hit or miss with linkia's. for the star's sake i would keep up with your bacteria "dosing". how long has it been in your tank?