Starfish: Considerations for the Common and (Commonly Misunderstood) Varieties

[romunov]

Indeed I have a question. Not much has been said about acclimatization. Is five days (as mentined for Linckia) the "standard"? We're talking a drop/second and a lot of water change, huh?

[Anthony Calfo]

romunov,

I failed to make myself clear, my friend, or you simply misunderstood: 5 days is not the length of time the sea star is to stay in the shipping bag or bucket for acclimating as if wit a slow drip as you have suggested. I earn to say that after import, allow sea stars to stay in a dealers filter system for something like 5-7 days before purchasing and moving to another tank.

Freshly imported animals have come from at least two other water systems/qualities (US import facility and native holding facility) plus the natural sea they were collected in. Your dealer's tank makes the 4rth water quality these animals have seen in the last week or so since collection. To take them right after import from your dealers tank is to subject them to a 5th (minimum) water system/quality and that can be the breaking blow for many weak specimens.

A drip acclimation at any stage to a new system for 30 minues or so (if temp is kept stable) is reasonable for animals shipped with good water quality. Less for animals with fouled water quality on arrival (many reasons for this... not the least of which is spiking ammonia from ammonium from a low pH, fouled shipping bag)

Anthony