Linkia starfish

[Bob]

Hello;

I have a 210 gallon very stable reef tank with a couple of dozen soft
corals, four clams, half a dozen tangs which are from 2-6 years old and some
gobies. I rarely have anything die on me but I've tried a blue linkia starfish
twice and neither has lasted long. They are ok for a week or so and then kind
of wind down and die. I know stable conditions are essential for starfish and I
do have a fluctuation of about 3 degrees farenheit (which is why I'm in the
process of getting a chiller and aquacontroller to try and reduce that range.)
Any suggestions would be appreciated or is this just one of those organisms
that is almost impossible to keep very long?

thanks;

Bob

[Roy]

Linkia are not the easiest to keep, not mainly form needing perfect
water parameters as much as it has to do how they were shipped to the
LFS, how the lfs acclimated them and how you as the end owner
acclimated them. IMHO these and the fromia need a aminimum of 3 hours
temp and drip acclimation as a minimum....but its been proven that
if a lfs just does a routine quick acclimation even though they may
appear fine weeks later they are extremely prone to going down hill no
matter how the end user acclimates them. I have seen lfs just reach in
bags of them and pull them out by the handfulls to put them from the
bags they temp acclimated them in to the sale tank.....stars shoul
dnot be exposed to air, just like sponges are prone to problems if
they are exposed. Yea, you may get away with it every now and then,
but its rarely the lfs keeps em long enough to start having signs of
problems......and then the end owner wonders what they did wrong, when
all parameters check out fine.



On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 15:45:00 -0600, Bob > wrote:
>><>
>><> Hello;
>><>
>><> I have a 210 gallon very stable reef tank with a couple of dozen soft
>><>corals, four clams, half a dozen tangs which are from 2-6 years old and some
>><>gobies. I rarely have anything die on me but I've tried a blue linkia starfish
>><>twice and neither has lasted long. They are ok for a week or so and then kind
>><>of wind down and die. I know stable conditions are essential for starfish and I
>><>do have a fluctuation of about 3 degrees farenheit (which is why I'm in the
>><>process of getting a chiller and aquacontroller to try and reduce that range.)
>><> Any suggestions would be appreciated or is this just one of those organisms
>><>that is almost impossible to keep very long?
>><>
>><> thanks;
>><>
>><> Bob
>><>
>><>

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

(Roy) wrote:
>Linkia are not the easiest to keep, not mainly form needing perfect
>water parameters as much as it has to do how they were shipped to the
>LFS, how the lfs acclimated them and how you as the end owner
>acclimated them. IMHO these and the fromia need a aminimum of 3 hours
>temp and drip acclimation as a minimum....but its been proven that
>if a lfs just does a routine quick acclimation even though they may
>appear fine weeks later they are extremely prone to going down hill no
>matter how the end user acclimates them. I have seen lfs just reach in
>bags of them and pull them out by the handfulls to put them from the
>bags they temp acclimated them in to the sale tank.....stars shoul
>dnot be exposed to air, just like sponges are prone to problems if
>they are exposed. Yea, you may get away with it every now and then,
>but its rarely the lfs keeps em long enough to start having signs of
>problems......and then the end owner wonders what they did wrong, when
>all parameters check out fine.
>
>>>>>>

Looks like it's kind of the luck of the draw. I think maybe it's just the
color blue. I've never been able to keep a powder blue tang alive either,
though I do have a hippo that's been doing fine for three years. My lfs is
pretty consciencious but I doubt they do 3 hour drips, and then there would be
the question of how they were treated when they were first collected. As you
said, linkias go pretty fast in the store and don't last long enough to see if
there are any bad effects. I doubt I'll try again until I have my controller
setup so I can keep the temp stable as possible.

thanks\

Bob

[Wayne Sallee]

Linkias are very sensitive, and not easy to keep, but a
quick exposure to air is not going to hurt them.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Roy wrote on 1/27/2006 6:49 PM:
> Linkia are not the easiest to keep, not mainly form needing perfect
> water parameters as much as it has to do how they were shipped to the
> LFS, how the lfs acclimated them and how you as the end owner
> acclimated them. IMHO these and the fromia need a aminimum of 3 hours
> temp and drip acclimation as a minimum....but its been proven that
> if a lfs just does a routine quick acclimation even though they may
> appear fine weeks later they are extremely prone to going down hill no
> matter how the end user acclimates them. I have seen lfs just reach in
> bags of them and pull them out by the handfulls to put them from the
> bags they temp acclimated them in to the sale tank.....stars shoul
> dnot be exposed to air, just like sponges are prone to problems if
> they are exposed. Yea, you may get away with it every now and then,
> but its rarely the lfs keeps em long enough to start having signs of
> problems......and then the end owner wonders what they did wrong, when
> all parameters check out fine.
>
>
>
> On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 15:45:00 -0600, Bob > wrote:
>
>>><>
>>><> Hello;
>>><>
>>><> I have a 210 gallon very stable reef tank with a couple of dozen soft
>>><>corals, four clams, half a dozen tangs which are from 2-6 years old and some
>>><>gobies. I rarely have anything die on me but I've tried a blue linkia starfish
>>><>twice and neither has lasted long. They are ok for a week or so and then kind
>>><>of wind down and die. I know stable conditions are essential for starfish and I
>>><>do have a fluctuation of about 3 degrees farenheit (which is why I'm in the
>>><>process of getting a chiller and aquacontroller to try and reduce that range.)
>>><> Any suggestions would be appreciated or is this just one of those organisms
>>><>that is almost impossible to keep very long?
>>><>
>>><> thanks;
>>><>
>>><> Bob
>>><>
>>><>
>
>

[Roy]

I f you like the color blue, and want something get a blue devil
damsel.......hardy as they get......;-)
On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:11:01 -0600, <> wrote:
(Roy) wrote:
>><>>Linkia are not the easiest to keep, not mainly form needing perfect
>><>>water parameters as much as it has to do how they were shipped to the
>><>>LFS, how the lfs acclimated them and how you as the end owner
>><>>acclimated them. IMHO these and the fromia need a aminimum of 3 hours
>><>>temp and drip acclimation as a minimum....but its been proven that
>><>>if a lfs just does a routine quick acclimation even though they may
>><>>appear fine weeks later they are extremely prone to going down hill no
>><>>matter how the end user acclimates them. I have seen lfs just reach in
>><>>bags of them and pull them out by the handfulls to put them from the
>><>>bags they temp acclimated them in to the sale tank.....stars shoul
>><>>dnot be exposed to air, just like sponges are prone to problems if
>><>>they are exposed. Yea, you may get away with it every now and then,
>><>>but its rarely the lfs keeps em long enough to start having signs of
>><>>problems......and then the end owner wonders what they did wrong, when
>><>>all parameters check out fine.
>><>>
>><> >>>>>>
>><>
>><> Looks like it's kind of the luck of the draw. I think maybe it's just the
>><>color blue. I've never been able to keep a powder blue tang alive either,
>><>though I do have a hippo that's been doing fine for three years. My lfs is
>><>pretty consciencious but I doubt they do 3 hour drips, and then there would be
>><>the question of how they were treated when they were first collected. As you
>><>said, linkias go pretty fast in the store and don't last long enough to see if
>><>there are any bad effects. I doubt I'll try again until I have my controller
>><>setup so I can keep the temp stable as possible.
>><>
>><> thanks\
>><>
>><> Bob

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Billy]

....and then it can torment every other creature in your tank to
death......

--
¼á
"Roy" > wrote in message
...
>I f you like the color blue, and want something get a blue devil
> damsel.......hardy as they get......;-)

[Roy]

Yea but its blue and hardy.....

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 09:12:33 -0800, "Billy"
> wrote:
>><>...and then it can torment every other creature in your tank to
>><>death......

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[PolarBoy]

I tried linkia twice like you and found them hard to keep and they died on
both occassions. I recommend sandsifting starfish, very hardy, cause no
bother and easy to keep. Also serpent starfish suit certain tanks well.

[Bob]

(Roy) wrote:
>
>
>Yea but its blue and hardy.....
>

Right now I have Naso , Hippo, Purple, Sail Fin and clown Tangs, a fox
face, dragon Goby, Mandarin Goby and diamond Goby. They all get along
reasonably well (jury is still out on the Clown, he's smaller then the others
but so far has been behaving himself.) ...I think I'll pass on the damsel. LOL

Bob

[Bob]

Wayne Sallee > wrote:
>Linkias are very sensitive, and not easy to keep, but a
>quick exposure to air is not going to hurt them.
>
>Wayne Sallee
>Wayne's Pets

>
>
>
What are the things they are most sensitive to?

Thanks,

Bob

[Bob]

"PolarBoy" > wrote:
>I tried linkia twice like you and found them hard to keep and they died on
>both occassions. I recommend sandsifting starfish, very hardy, cause no
>bother and easy to keep. Also serpent starfish suit certain tanks well.
>
>

I want ones that don't bother the corals or knock things down. I really
like the color on the Linkias. I'm working on getting a chiiler and
aquacontroller to really notch in the temperature of my tank and keep it
stable. Once I have that I'll probably give it one more try.

Bob

[Susan]

Their sensitive to any kind of poor water quality (PH, temperature,
nitrates etc..) Also their sensitive to air exposure and touching them with
bare hands. Fromias who look very similar to the red linkias are more
durable.

Susan :)
"Bob" > wrote in message
...
> Wayne Sallee > wrote:
>>Linkias are very sensitive, and not easy to keep, but a
>>quick exposure to air is not going to hurt them.
>>
>>Wayne Sallee
>>Wayne's Pets

>>
>>
>>
> What are the things they are most sensitive to?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bob
>

[RicSeyler]

It's in the transfer.... Linkas shouldn't be touched, exposed to air and
drip aclimated.
If you can get them past the couple weeks stage they will live in the
parameters
that your other creatures will.

Bob wrote:

> Hello;
>
> I have a 210 gallon very stable reef tank with a couple of dozen soft
>corals, four clams, half a dozen tangs which are from 2-6 years old and some
>gobies. I rarely have anything die on me but I've tried a blue linkia starfish
>twice and neither has lasted long. They are ok for a week or so and then kind
>of wind down and die. I know stable conditions are essential for starfish and I
>do have a fluctuation of about 3 degrees farenheit (which is why I'm in the
>process of getting a chiller and aquacontroller to try and reduce that range.)
> Any suggestions would be appreciated or is this just one of those organisms
>that is almost impossible to keep very long?
>
> thanks;
>
> Bob
>
>
>
>
>

--
Ric Seyler
Online Racing: RicSeyler
GPL Handicap 6.35

http://www.pcola.gulf.net/~ricseyler
remove –SPAM- from email address
--------------------------------------
"Homer no function beer well without."
- H.J. Simpson

[Wayne Sallee]

Salinity Change, and Temperature, and other things eating
them.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Bob wrote on 1/28/2006 11:27 PM:
> Wayne Sallee > wrote:
>
>>Linkias are very sensitive, and not easy to keep, but a
>>quick exposure to air is not going to hurt them.
>>
>>Wayne Sallee
>>Wayne's Pets

>>
>>
>>
>
> What are the things they are most sensitive to?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bob
>

[William L. Vanstralen]

Exactly why I put the reef tank "bully" into the FO tank with the Lion and
the Trigger, hoping God would take care of the issue. Been 2 months and
he's still in there, holding his own......

Bill

"Billy" > wrote in message
...
> ...and then it can torment every other creature in your tank to
> death......
>
> --
> ¼á
> "Roy" > wrote in message
> ...
>>I f you like the color blue, and want something get a blue devil
>> damsel.......hardy as they get......;-)
>
>

[bitz]

Ive had 3 for around 2 years and have had no problems. One was
aclimitised by the drip method and other other accidently dropped in.
I think good water quality is a must for these critters.



On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 15:45:00 -0600, Bob > wrote:

>
> Hello;
>
> I have a 210 gallon very stable reef tank with a couple of dozen soft
>corals, four clams, half a dozen tangs which are from 2-6 years old and some
>gobies. I rarely have anything die on me but I've tried a blue linkia starfish
>twice and neither has lasted long. They are ok for a week or so and then kind
>of wind down and die. I know stable conditions are essential for starfish and I
>do have a fluctuation of about 3 degrees farenheit (which is why I'm in the
>process of getting a chiller and aquacontroller to try and reduce that range.)
> Any suggestions would be appreciated or is this just one of those organisms
>that is almost impossible to keep very long?
>
> thanks;
>
> Bob
>
>

[Pszemol]

"bitz" > wrote in message ...
> Ive had 3 for around 2 years and have had no problems. One was
> aclimitised by the drip method and other other accidently dropped in.
> I think good water quality is a must for these critters.

Do you still have them ?

[bitz]

Sure do !!

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:20:42 -0600, "Pszemol" >
wrote:

>"bitz" > wrote in message ...
>> Ive had 3 for around 2 years and have had no problems. One was
>> aclimitised by the drip method and other other accidently dropped in.
>> I think good water quality is a must for these critters.
>
>Do you still have them ?