My Linkia Starfish Babies!!! Check this out!

[txmaverickmh]

Thank you guys for all the comments, I am happy to share this crazy, cool experience with you guys!

Yes, they move very slow around the tank, but they do get around just like the other starfish!

Michael

[Fishfish0001]

its like a zombie star. If it mutated and grew another arm it could be the bodiless arm

[cubsFAN]

Incredible accomplishment.

[aleonn]

One of the coolest things I've seen in a while! You've got to post tank parameters, what you dose, and how you maintain your tank. We've gotta find your secret

[williamjhitchcock]

freaky!

[txmaverickmh]

Thanks again for the comments guys!

Check out my YouTube video of my tank:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfK72...e_gdata_player

I don't really know what exactly caused this, I have had the two linkia starfish in a 40 gal mixed reef for about 8 months...tank has been setup for about 16 months.

Water parameters are pretty normal except my pH usually runs pretty high peaking sometimes at 8.5 in the evening.

I feed Marine Cuisine, Rods Food Original Blend and Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast in cycles to offer varying foods.

I do weekly 20% water changes, and after the water change, I dose iodide, strontium, and amino acids from Seachem.

I do think this is asexual reproduction and doesn't matter that I have 2 linkia starfish in the tank as someone asked in PM.

Just the luck of nature I guess, and lucky enough to share with you guys!

[goochesfish]

I've not been successful with linkia. How long is the affiliation process when first introduced?

Congratulations on your babies!

[greech]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing the pics!

Reminds me of something in the last episode of The Big Bang Theory

[greenbean36191]

This actually extremely common with L. multifora- much less so with other species. Since sea stars are known by the technical name "asteroids" scientists thought they would be clever and call the little offspring comets. If you search the forum for the term "comets" you should find several other examples of this.

[Angel*Fish]

Before anyone rushes out to buy a Linckia, here's a post by a marine biologist whose specialty is starfish from this thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=85361 It's a bit old, but I'd think it would still be helpful.

Couple of things. We know A LOT about these animals. We know most of them die, and we know why. They die of acclimation shock or starvation.

But exposure to air/skin causing death is an old wive's tale. As long as they do not dry out, this is not causing them harm. Handling at the LFS is certainly not the primary cause of death.

The disintegration noted is entirely due to osmotic/acclimation shock which sets in within a MONTH of introduction or major disturbance (eg large water change or salinity swing, temp spike, buffering accident, etc). The overwhelming majority of Linkia or Fromia sp stars will die of acclimation shock within a month, either due to the hobbyist, the LFS or initial supplier.

Most of those that survive will die in 9-12 months of starvation.

In order to keep them, you must start with a healthy specimen from an LFS or supplier that keeps their invert systems at high specific gravity (1.025-1.026) and acclimates the stars. These stars should be acclimated for a minimum of 4 hours, using a drip method, and keeping temperature at tank temperature. Any white spots, mucous, etc is a bad sign and the animal should be avoided.

The tank should be no younger than 6 months old with pristine water conditions, including specific gravity in the 1.025-1.026 range. These stars are incredibly sensitive to fluctuations in pH, alk, and salinity.

A minimum tank size, IMO, for a best chance of success with a blue Linckia is 100g with 150lbs of LR. The larger, the better...the smaller, the riskier and rarer it is to succeed.

Keep in mind that these animals CAN NOT be spot fed, so adding algae, squid, shrimp etc will do nothing. They eat microbial/bacterial films, encrusting animals (sponges, bryozoans) or otherwise, but NOT nuisance algae or detritus. When something has such a specific narrow diet, you must provide a lot of surface area of LR for them for best results....much of this can take time to regrow as well. It is best to have only one of these types of stars, as competition can be fatal.

Fromia sp stars like Sri Lanka stars seem to have an even more dismal survival record, with most dying in 9-12 months. Their diet, though unknown, is thought to consist of sponges.

The 'hardiest' of the Linckia sp stars is the smaller Linckia multiflora which will reproduce readilt in captivity via arm drops. It has done so in tanks as small as 29 g, assuming there is a lot of LR. This species does come in a blue morph and is most likely that which survives in smaller tanks. True blue Linckia are very large, and survival in tanks smaller than 55g for more than a year is quite rare, and quite unlikely. For best results, keep blue Linckia in much larger, very mature systems. If healthy and happy, the star will reproduce through an arm drop, which is the best way, IMO, one should acquire two of these stars.

The orange Linckia, which is more likely a Henricia, is typically somewhat easier to keep, as is the 6 armed burgandy Linckia (Echinaster luzonicus). Nonetheless, all belong in large, mature tanks after a long acclimation, and preferably without other competition from stars. They have similar dietary needs to a blue. The purple Linckia, most often Tamaria stria, is sometimes accused of being predatory, but I am not convinced of this.

BTW, not all brittlestars and serpentstars are known predators. There is no biological difference between brittle/serpentstars. The green brittle/serpent Ophiarachna is a known predator in the wild, and there are reports of other species showing predatory behavior in captivity....but in no way can one make the generalization that they are all predatory.

In short, these is a huge stress placed on Linckia sp stars from this hobby, and the souvenir trade (go into any shell shop, in any beach resort, and look at the ugly dyed versions). Please only keep them if you truly stand a chance of providing a long term home. Please accept that we KNOW it is rare to keep them in tanks smaller than 55 g. Chances increase over 100g with loads of LR.

Success over a year must be considered the standard for them; anything less is too soon to know, though growth is a good sign.

Healthy true Linckia (blues) should have very stout cylindrical arms. If they seem to be flat, or with a groove down them on the back, that could indicate a problem, as does white or mucousy spots or 'guts' coming out the mouth.

Linckia may also carry a parastic snail on them, usually along the grooves on the bottom of the animal, so look for that in any specimen.

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[reefing102]

Very Cool.....I personally haven't seen that happen before

Good Job

[Moort82]

Thats pretty cool.

[XrayGuy]

LOL that is SO cool looking! How long did it take for them to develop their new baby arms?

[guarda]

wow! getting out the dremel now... lol

[Whisperer]

Have you tried the blender? J/K
Cool, this thread made me order a blue linkia...I know, people say it is hard to keep. It's my first try.

[lilalove]

So cool. And like everyone else said, kind of creepy.

[cyberwild360]

"wicked" cool

[reefhustler]

maybe once one of the babies develop you could try cutting it in half

[smkkib]

So cool........ What a coincident.

[Esage]

Awesome

[organism]

That is very cool, your system must be really dialed in, great job!

[tommyphones]

I also have one that split!

[Peter65]

Addams family Thing comes to mind
Just started my first tank and found a Linkia in my live rock.

[MrineLfRlz]

Crazy Looking! But Awesome!

[Peter65]

Unfortunately my little Linkia has vanished.
Suspect a crab got it?