Hitchhiker star ID please

stephish

Member
This guy was on a frag of xenia I picked up on Saturday. His legs are about 2" long and have a spot of blue on the tip. I'm curious as to what he is and what I need to feed him.

 

stephish

Member
thanks guys! I was thinking he might be a linckia too but i'm not positive. He was missing the one leg when I got him i'm hoping it regenerates.
 

ophiura

Active Member
I agree, Linckia multiflora

What are the basics of the system? This is a good one to get
if it is a reasonable size system - say 55g or more. 29 is the smallest I've heard long term success with (not remotely good for most Linckia but this one seems OK if it is a full reef). I would say smaller than that, eh, might be rather marginal.
Unfortunately, like other Linckia, it can not be spot fed and relies on good LR. Also be sure the water params are in ideal range. But hopefully it will do well!
 

stephish

Member
uh oh.... my tank is only a 20 but I do have about 30 of lr in it at this point. So far he seems to be doing ok but it has only been a week. He has stayed on 2 different pieces of rock, one of them being the rock he arrived on (hidden in the anthelia).
I'm feeding the tank with rotofeast and marine snow (alternate nights) will this help him at all?
Water params have been very consistent at
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 0
pH 8.2
temp 80
sg 1.025
I've checked the phosphates and hardness as well and I don't remember the numbers off hand but they were within the ranges given on the instructions.
Do you think I need to take him back to the lfs? I definitely don't want to him to die.
 

rcbruce

Member
I have to disagree. Sand Sifting Sea Star, Astropecten polycanthus. Eats deterus and other items in sand bed.
 

anubisxero

Member
i'd have to disagree with sand sifting star. I'm almost absoultely sure it's of linckia multifora origin. only thing i see different is the color pattern. never seen that before. mostly white with reds and whatnot. but i'm pretty sure that's what it is.
 

ophiura

Active Member
It is absolutely, positively, a Linckia or relative. IMO, it is Linckia multiflora.
stephish - do you have any friends with a slightly larger reef tank?
 

wbilton

Member
I just found a very small star (1/2 inch) in my tank I havn't added anything to my tank in months, I tried to get a picture but my camera is not a great one and I can't get a focused picture.
 

ophiura

Active Member
It is likely the hitch hiker star, Asterina. Do a search on the boards and you will find lots of pictures
 
B

blackburnd

Guest
Where do you guys get your LR that you get these hitchikers? I have about 55lbs of LR in my tank, and I have not seen one hitchhiker. My LR didn't look half that good when I got it either..
I got mine from this site, but the stuff you are getting looks so much better.
 

stephish

Member
Ophiura we have a reef club meeting coming up on the 17th, you thinking I should see if anyone wants him? One of the girls has 2 650's i'm sure she'd give it quite a good home.
 
Originally Posted by BlackburnD
Where do you guys get your LR that you get these hitchikers? I have about 55lbs of LR in my tank, and I have not seen one hitchhiker. My LR didn't look half that good when I got it either..
I got mine from this site, but the stuff you are getting looks so much better.
The rock from this site is probibaly water blasted and thouroughly cleaned.
My rock comes from the lfs, ive gotten some treasures on frags and rocks, but never such a cool star, only brittle and serpent. Once I bought a rock, got it home, and there was a small goby inside!
I took him back and was honest about it.
Best thing to do is to buy rock out of established store setups.
 

ophiura

Active Member
I will say that established store setups are often selling basically the exact same rock (if you are around when the shipment comes in
). Now if it is an "established" tank that you can get rock out, that may be different.
 

stephish

Member
BillyandBlenny the lfs knows about the star, I called when I found it, they didn't know they had it, the xenia frag I bought was on a decent size piece of lr that had only come in 3-4 days before hand.
 

ophiura

Active Member
It might not be a bad idea to see if anyone with a larger system wants it. In a really huge tank like you describe (assuming it is a reef
) the odds of this animal doing VERY well are quite good. She might be able to provide another one to you in the future
 
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