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Odd Critter Gallery

Orange Linkia Sea Star - Linkia sp.
Corkscrew Long Tentacle Anemone - Macrodactyla doreensis
Green Bubbletip Anemone - Entacmaea quadricolor
Orange Center Zoanthids
Red Leg Hermit Crab
Blue Tuxedo Sea Urchin - Mespilia globulis
Trochus Snail Spawn

Blue Linkia Sea Star - Linkia laevigata


Blue Linkia Sea Star - Linkia laevigata
Picture taken May 1999, Sony Mavica FD91 digital camera

Purchased: May 6th, 1999. Nickname: Blue

Sea stars in the genus Linkia are amoung the few stars acceptable for reef aquariums. They are non-selective surface grazer from the Indo-Pacific and can survive on a diet of aquarium detritus and debris.

Linkia sea stars are known to ship very poorly. They often have very high mortality rates. You need to acclimate all marine critters very slow, but take extra time with this one. I recommend:
  1. Float bag for 30 to 45 minutes to equalize temperature.
  2. Open bag and measure the salinity of the bag and compair to your tank and start a drip line of about 1 drop a second. Do this for at least 1 hour.
  3. Recheck the salinity of the bag compaired to your tank. Every 15 minutes start removing small portions of the water in the bag while continuing to drip. After about an hour of doing this the salinity levels should be fairly close.
  4. Increase drip rate slightly to two drops a second. Do this for another 1 ½ hours.
  5. Linkia should now be ready to release.
  6. Lower water level in bag, but do not take sea star above water. Keep submerged at all times. Do not touch it with your fingers.
  7. Add linkia to aquarium, try to let it slide out of the bag. Let it settle on the sand bed away from the rocks.
  8. If you have difficulty removing it, don't touch it with your bare hands. The oil on your fingers will have a negative effect on its skin. Use a glove when touching. If you don't have a glove, put another plastic bag over your hand to use as a glove.
  9. Linkia will stay motionless for a few minutes or might start moving right away. Keep a close eye on each leg to make sure the slits open and that you can see active tube feet coming out as the sea star moves.
  10. The sea star will head towards the rocks. Expect it to move until it finds a dark hiding spot. It could then take 5 to 10 days before you see it again. During this time try to keep on eye on it. If you see the the tips of the legs turning white this is a sign the sea star is dying. Little to nothing you can do to save it.
  11. If the star does fall apart remove what you can. If a leg by itself looks healthy leave it. It may regenerate into a new linkia sea star.

Blue Linkia Sea Star - Linkia laevigata
Picture taken September 2001, Nikon CoolPix 950 Digital Camera, No Flash

If you follow these steps and you still loose the sea star chances are it was already in bad shape from mishandling or poor acclimation techniques prior to your purchase.

Update: 08/10/1999 - The linkia was out on the front glass this morning. I took the opertunity to measure it tip to tip. It measured just under 4 inches. I wish I wrote down how big it was when I got it to see if has grown or stayed the same size.

Update: 07/15/2000 - I measured the linkia again and it was exactly 4 inches in size from tip to tip. Very slow growth for this critter over the last year.

Update: 09/15/2001 - This little blue star seems to be in trouble. I keep finding him flipped over on its back as if it fell off the glass or rocks. Sure enough as he tries to climb, an arm lets go one by one until it falls down. No signs of turning white, no physical damage.

Update: 12/04/2001 - I haven't seen this critter in 2 months. I assume whatever happened to him was fatal.

 

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Parent Category: Odd Critters
Category: Seastar Gallery
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