Red Linckia Starfish

[Risky Fishniss]

My Linckia doesn’t look good. He has been on the glass and has slowly slumped down into this. Also, his little tentacles are not moving. Is it safe to say he is dying?

I’ve had him not quite a full week.
I have a 40 gallon tank that is 1 year old. Tank is in good condition.

I’ve attached a few pictures. The first picture was day one…..he moved around for a couple of days then was on the glass and hasn’t moved much except for down to where he is now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My Linckia doesn’t look good. He has been on the glass and has slowly slumped down into this. Also, his little tentacles are not moving. Is it safe to say he is dying?

I’ve had him not quite a full week.
I have a 40 gallon tank that is 1 year old. Tank is in good condition.

I’ve attached a few pictures. The first picture was day one…..he moved around for a couple of days then was on the glass and hasn’t moved much except for down to where he is now.

View attachment 3047165 View attachment 3047166 View attachment 3047167 View attachment 3047168 View attachment 3047169

This is one of the prettiest but also one of the more challenging even to the most experienced reefers. The challenge is water quality and feeding. While many are known to consume pellets, if left uneaten can foul the water which comes to biggest challenge- Water. They will Not do well in tanks with elevated levels of nitrate and phosphate, as they are very sensitive to this.
They have the ability to find enough food on their own in the tank but then need supplement food as they are Omnivores in nature. They also are sensitive to salinity changes and exposure to atmospheric air.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

My Linckia doesn’t look good. He has been on the glass and has slowly slumped down into this. Also, his little tentacles are not moving. Is it safe to say he is dying?

I’ve had him not quite a full week.
I have a 40 gallon tank that is 1 year old. Tank is in good condition.

I’ve attached a few pictures. The first picture was day one…..he moved around for a couple of days then was on the glass and hasn’t moved much except for down to where he is now.

View attachment 3047165 View attachment 3047166 View attachment 3047167 View attachment 3047168 View attachment 3047169

Sadly there's really not much you can do for him at this point if he's exhibiting that kind of behavior...maybe try moving him to a temporary tank? Perhaps your parameters are off somehow? I'm not asking you to state your parameters, just saying that the odds of him recovering in that environment are pretty low since something in the tank or acclimation likely caused it.

 

[Risky Fishniss]

This is one of the prettiest but also one of the more challenging even to the most experienced reefers. The challenge is water quality and feeding. While many are known to consume pellets, if left uneaten can foul the water which comes to biggest challenge- Water. They will Not do well in tanks with elevated levels of nitrate and phosphate, as they are very sensitive to this.
They have the ability to find enough food on their own in the tank but then need supplement food as they are Omnivores in nature. They also are sensitive to salinity changes and exposure to atmospheric air.

Ok, thank you.

 

[Risky Fishniss]

Sadly there's really not much you can do for him at this point if he's exhibiting that kind of behavior...maybe try moving him to a temporary tank? Perhaps your parameters are off somehow? I'm not asking you to state your parameters, just saying that the odds of him recovering in that environment are pretty low since something in the tank or acclimation likely caused it.

Ok, thank you.

Also, should his tentacles underneath be moving?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Ok, thank you.

Also, should his tentacles underneath be moving?

Yes, they're called tube feet and they should not only be moving but be able to grip glass and any other substrate well

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ok, thank you.

Also, should his tentacles underneath be moving?

They do and is what provides motion

 

[pandaparties]

This is one of the prettiest but also one of the more challenging even to the most experienced reefers. The challenge is water quality and feeding. While many are known to consume pellets, if left uneaten can foul the water which comes to biggest challenge- Water. They will Not do well in tanks with elevated levels of nitrate and phosphate, as they are very sensitive to this.
They have the ability to find enough food on their own in the tank but then need supplement food as they are Omnivores in nature. They also are sensitive to salinity changes and exposure to atmospheric air.

I've had on for about a year and I keep my nitrates pretty high (I've had them as high as 300). Though I do agree with water quality overall is super important and I think more than anything is rock surface area since they are biofilm eaters. I've never seen mine eat anything I've tried to feed supplementally unfortunately. I keep mine in a 600g so it's got plenty of space to feed but I do think feeding is the biggest challenge and they are going to struggle in smaller tanks.

 

[Risky Fishniss]

I've had on for about a year and I keep my nitrates pretty high (I've had them as high as 300). Though I do agree with water quality overall is super important and I think more than anything is rock surface area since they are biofilm eaters. I've never seen mine eat anything I've tried to feed supplementally unfortunately. I keep mine in a 600g so it's got plenty of space to feed but I do think feeding is the biggest challenge and they are going to struggle in smaller tanks.

View attachment 3047237

Thank you for your reply.

I had my water tested and it all looks good except for the salinity was down a bit so working to bump that back up. There is plenty of rock space and plenty to eat (I don’t think he has been in long enough to be “starving “). I’m thinking the salinity is the issue. So far he is hanging there, has moved down into the sand but is in a weird position. I’m hoping he’ll bounce back. It’s a wait and see game and I’m choosing to hope for the best. ‍

 

[punchy7080]

It’s fine… they take awhile to acclimate once added to your tank. I have a blue and orange/red in my 300g and another orange/red in my 75g. All three were very stationary for a week or so when first added. Even now they’ll camp out in one spot for a full day and then cruise all over the place. Be patient and I think it will be just fine.