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Aloha007 
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 Topic: How do I know if my blue linkia star fish is dead
Posted: November 20 2015 at 10:42pm |
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Help !! I have a blue linkia star fish , he used to move around a lot and has now been in the same spot I the sand for 2 days. Brown stuff coming out of his mouth. Is he dead or dying? How can I tell? He stiffens up when I moved him to check out his underside. Just not moving . Doesn't look deflated , all water permit era are good. 180 gallon mature tank. Over 50 pounds of live rock
Edited by Aloha007 - November 21 2015 at 11:06am
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: November 20 2015 at 11:11pm |
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Sounds like it is releasing waste. Generally when they start dying they tend to break down at the arms. I would just keep an eye on it. I'm sure others will chime in.
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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Aloha007
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Posted: November 20 2015 at 11:27pm |
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Thank you. Is it normal for them to stay in the same spot for days when releasing waste
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Reefer4Ever
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 2:41am |
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I wouldn't think so for it to remain motionless for days. Tell is about your tank, hownlongnsetup, size, what else inhabits the tank and specific parameters alk, cal, mag, salinity, no3, po4, ammonia, nitrite.
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90 gal reef w/refugium
24 gal softie tank
11 gal nano anemone tank
5 gal fresh water
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 9:15am |
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When did you get the linka and how did you acclimate it to your tank? Starfish are very susceptible to PH, temp and ammonia shock and require different acclimation steps than most other tank animals.
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Hogie
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 10:58am |
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You'll know it's dead if the clean up crew starts eating it. If they aren't touching it, then just leave it.
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Aloha007
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 11:04am |
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Just found out he is definitely dead. The temp in my tank has been high for a couple days. I'm assuming this is the reason. Crabs have been picking at him. Also just noticed my protein skimmer isn't working properly. It's not filling up at all . I tried adjusting the levels . I'm not sure what's wrong with it. I absolutely love saltwater aquariums but it seems like it's always something. All our other fish, coral and cute critters seem to be doing well.
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Aloha007
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 11:05am |
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Unfortunately we also didn't acclimate him for as long as we should have.
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 12:07pm |
Reef aquariums can be frustrating at times and there is a lot to know to maintain a healthy tank. It may be that you didn't do anything wrong or couldn't have done anything different to change the outcome with this Sea Star. On the other hand, it may be helpful to update your understanding on several points: 1. It's important to do research before buying any animal. In this case, Blue Linkia Sea Stars rarely last more than 6 months in aquariums. When they are hungry they move around a lot and when they have found food they move slowly, like less than 12"/day.
2. Linkia should never be lifted out of the water.
3. Depending on the water the Sea Star was in at the LFS, a different acclimation procedure may be required. Long acclimation/drip acclimation is usually harmful, not helpful. Check the temperature and salinity of the water it was in versus where it's going. If it's close to the same, just do a 15 minute 3x exchange of water and move it into the new tank. Salinity/specific gravity changes are the most harmful to Sea Stars. Allow up to 45 minutes acclimation to Specific Gravity differences of .003 (1.023 -> 1.026).
4. Though 74-76 degrees is the ideal temperature for several reasons, temperatures anywhere between 70-80 are okay. Reef animals can handle temperature increases for a day up to as much 83 degrees.
5. Skimmers can't pull anything out when there isn't anything to pull out. Sometimes a temporary change in the surface chemistry of the water (look up "water surface chemistry"), like when a hand with oils, dirt etc. is dipped into the water, bubbles will not form and the skimmer will not collect anything until the chemistry returns to normal. Some animals give off chemicals that can stop bubbles from forming while other animals give off chemicals that cause massive foaming. Remember that a skimmer is not a necessity so don't worry if it slows or stops producing for a week or so.
Hope this helps.
Aloha, Mark 
Edited by Mark Peterson - November 22 2015 at 12:55am
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 12:30pm |
I call them Sea Stars because they are not fish.  If a Sea Star is wanted, try the Fromia Sea Stars. They are much hardier/live longer. There is a purple sea star that lives a little longer than the Blue Linkia. Red Knobby Sea Stars from Hawaii are large and do very well, but many of the other Knobby Stars, like the Chocolate Chip, eat coral. Here is a Star I kept 10 years ago, an Orange Fromia I believe.
Aloha, Mark 
This was a predatory Sea Star given to me by a friend. It lived just fine in this tank full of algae, where it received a piece of raw shimp from time to time. 
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: November 21 2015 at 6:47pm |
I didn't read above but I'll say "yes, it's dying"
Those stars are really difficult to keep alive. I don't think I've ever owned one myself. Just really difficult.
Adam
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