I hear a lot of folks say we shouldn’t keep Linckia stars because they starve to death or we don’t know how to keep them alive and they just die within a year or so. I decided to read up on the subject and found a peer reviewed scientific article which described the lifecycle of these stars. Apparently their juvenile state is cryptic (hidden, not easily found or farmed) and lasts about 2 years. They come out of hiding when they have reached sexual maturity. Therefore, 100% of the stars we buy are sexually mature specimens, meaning they are AT LEAST 2 years old when we put them in our tanks. If we assume the age of mature specimens harvested for the aquarium trade is a bell curve, and their overall lifespan is about 10 years, then a majority of the stars we get are 5-7 years old by the time they get into our tanks.
So, I would propose that keeping one for a year or two amounts to keeping it alive for a respectable portion of its remaining lifespan. One that I would call a success, and not any more unethical than the hermits and other inverts we often keep and accept that they will live a fraction of their lifespan compared to those left in the wild.
Of course, I am no expert and would gladly accept rebuttal. Just sharing where my thinking is at after some very light research on the topic. Thoughts?
So, I would propose that keeping one for a year or two amounts to keeping it alive for a respectable portion of its remaining lifespan. One that I would call a success, and not any more unethical than the hermits and other inverts we often keep and accept that they will live a fraction of their lifespan compared to those left in the wild.
Of course, I am no expert and would gladly accept rebuttal. Just sharing where my thinking is at after some very light research on the topic. Thoughts?