My wife talked me into buying a Purple/Blue Linkia a couple of weeks ago .
I was wondering why my Remora was going haywire this eveniing. I found the poor guy upside down on the substrate in the back of my tank. Not sure how long it has been dead maybe only a few hours after I acclimated my new corals and Clam this afternoon. Even though he didn't come out in the open very often I am still bummed that he died... I drip acclimated him and everything. My water params are top notch..I'm really not sure what killed him.

Does anyone else have a similar experience with keeping these? Good or Bad.

Are the orange ones easier to keep than the Blue ones?

Do they realease any coral/fish killing toxins when they die like some sea cucumbers do?

Do I need to do a major water change?

aww sorry to hear :(

Thanks Gwen but its okay, I am over it already. I will just steer clear of starfish.

can't answer any of your questions, just wanted to say sorry about the loss.

The Blue ones are VERY difficult to keep. You need a massive amount of live rock (A very large tank) to support them. From what I've read they feed on the bacterial-film that covers live rock, but that's just a theory. No one knows for sure what they eat yet. I don't have any experience with them myself. Just what I've read. Your problem doesn't sound like a starvation issue though as that takes months.

yeah I hear ya- I had a red fromia and it didn't last long- maybe 3-6 months. I have a serpent star and he has been around a few years now.

Thanks, I tried telling me wife they were difficult to keep but I just don't like saying no sometimes if you know what I mean.

I have a red/black and a black/gray brittle star that are doing great. I just thought that since my tank is doing so good I would have some luck with this one guess I was wrong...

linkia's aVERY difficult to keep alive...
they normally wont make it more than a few days.. they are EXTREMELY sensitive to water conditions.

as far as i know they are not poisonous like cukes

im not sure if the orange one are easier... i remember reading that one was easier than the other, but cant remember which one.. either way, its all relative.. something that is a bit easier than "really hard" is still "hard" or "almost really hard"...lol

Yeah I know I should have stuck to my guns and not purchased it but I guess I had to learn the hard way..or should I say really hard way..lol

I had an orange and a blue linka and they didn't do well, lasted no longer than 2 months each. I have had a serpent and brittle for over a year adn they are doing awesome!

yeah, serpents and brittle stars are great and relatively easy to keep.. just watch it with the larger brittle stars, they have been known to prey on small fish

linkia's aVERY difficult to keep alive...
they normally wont make it more than a few days.. they are EXTREMELY sensitive to water conditions.

as far as i know they are not poisonous like cukes

im not sure if the orange one are easier... i remember reading that one was easier than the other, but cant remember which one.. either way, its all relative.. something that is a bit easier than "really hard" is still "hard" or "almost really hard"...lol

interesting. I have one, which has been in my tank since I started it. So far I have managed to kill everything but the linkia, a hermit crab and my cynerina. Some of you would have read my post about the bleached BTA as a result of a high temperature event. That pretty much nuked the tank, and I wasn't home so it was about 2 days before I could remove all the casualties. Linka is still ticking after all that. My experience has been that they are one of the most hardy residents (possibly bullet proof, but I'm not so keen on testing that theory).

Oh, and at the time I got it I didn't know to accilmate new additions to a tank. The linkia got tossed in to a three week old tank that was barely cycled and had an owner hell bent on destruction through ignorance. I have turned my back on those evil ways now and have found inner peace.

Interesting article. Apparently there is more than one species of sea star that is commonly called "bule linkia", often incorrectly. They also have vastly different needs, most of which are unknown. I guess I just got lucky with mine.

Enjoy!

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/toonen.htm