Red/Orange Linckia Star Fish Dying

[marianelah]

I am new to this forum and need some help. I have a 55g tank with the following:
2 clown
1 blue tang
1 yellow tang
1 damsel
polyps
12 astrea snails
4 red leg hermit crabs
1 red linckia star fish
1 green mandarinfish
1 clam

I added the mandarinfish, 12 astrea snails and the polyps last week . Since then my star fish has started to break appart and I assume is dying. All my water readings are normal, the temperature has been a little high (85 degrees). I had the star for about 2 months. My tank is 3 months old.

I'm new to marine aquariums and this is my first death.

What causes a star fish to die suddenly?
Are there any incompatabilites?

[rayjay]

Probably starved to death.
See this link to Robs article on linckia.
ROB TOONEN on LINCKIA STARS

[greenbean36191]

My guess would be improper acclimation leading to osmotic shock. Starvation takes a year or more to show signs, osmotic shock is a lot quicker.

[wozza]

what is your salinaty?
they need it to be at NSW levels that is at about 1.025-1.026, as they can not handle changes in the salinaty at all.

here is great article about starfish and there care and suitibalty in the aquarium
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-12/rs/index.php


cheers james

[Reefland]

Watch the fish load in your tank, you have a lot going on in a 55 gallon already. I agree with the osmotic shock with the seastar, they are very, very delicate.

[marianelah]

Salinity was at 1.020. That may have been the cause. Thanks everyone for your help. Lesson learned.

[wozza]

i think im right in saying this someone feel free to chime in and correct me, but you should slowly rise you salinity other wise you could shock your other tank inhabatants.

cheers james

[Leonard]

i have starfish too. Maybe i can learn from other's experience...

[kosys]

Yes I agree with Wossa you should definatly raise salinity natural ocean is usally around 1.025 - 1.026 and you would want try and mimic real nature best you can. I think 1.020 is to low.

I also agree with Reefland thats alot goin on for 55 gal tank

Ken

[PDAJunkie]

I would also recommend that you trade your mandrain in to your LFS for some credit or I'm afraid that you will have another death on your hands before long. A 3 month old tank will most likely not support a mandrain IMO. Please don't take this as a flame but it is very important that we know how to support our fish before we buy them. Good luck.

[kosys]

Richard is correct the manderin dragonet will not survive in a three month old tank. The tank should be 8-9 months old at minimum, the tank needs a healthy copode population main staple for a manderin, or the manderin will starve to death.

Ken

[Rockwood13]

I just got an orange linckia and I have not introduced it to my tank yet. I just read up and saw a lot of warnings that these like about 1.025-6 salinity and they do not like any quick changes in salinity. My tank is at 1.023 or a little higher. I will definitely do a drip acclimation but does anyone know if this level is too low for them?

thanx
jeff

[Ninong]

Hi Rockwood13,




Yes, a specific gravity of 1.023 is really too low for a reef aquarium and definitely too low for Linckia sea stars. You should gradually raise your specific gravity to 1.025-1.026 over the next week or so.

As for the sea star that you already have, do you happen to know the specific gravity of the water it was kept in? Can you check the specific gravity of the bag it is in right now?

Sea stars are very sensitive to osmotic shock (sudden changes in salinity). They require a slow-drip acclimation. Exactly how long this procedure should last depends entirely on how great the difference is between the water they are in and the water they are going into because salinity is the biggest problem for them.

If you test your tank's specific gravity and it is 1.023 and you test the water the sea star is in right now and it is 1.023, then your slow-drip acclimation doesn't have to last very long because they are both the same salinity. However, if the water it is in right now is 1.025 and your water is 1.023, then your slow-drip acclimation should take about six hours. Just slow-drip the water and then, once the water in the bag (or container) it is in has doubled, pour out half and continue to slow-drip until it has doubled again. Repeat as necessary until the salinity in the bag (or container) is the same as the salinity in your aquarium. The same. Not just close to the same.

There is not much you can do at this point about your low salinity in your aquarium. You could raise it a little right now before you add the sea star by simply removing a couple of gallons and adding half a cup of salt mix and stirring very well for several minutes before returning it to the aquarium but I wouldn't push that idea too far. How large is your tank???

What you have to do now, since you already have this sea star, is simply acclimate it in its bag (or container) until the water in the bag (or container) has the exact same salinity (specific gravity) as your aquarium. You should try to drag this process out for at least a few hours.

Later on you can worry about raising the salinity in your aquarium gradually over the next week or so. Just use saltwater for evaporation replacement instead of freshwater until you have reached your goal.

Good luck!



P.S. -- Rob Toonen's article on Linckia spp.