Ophiura..Star ??????

reefaddicted

reefaddicted

Member
I just received an orange "linkia" from SWF.com
About one hour after it had been in the tank, after 4 hour acclimation, it sorta lifted itself up in the center making an arch shape. Then some of the "pores" on the legs (near the center) began to swell, and then excrete a single ball of the same orange color as the star. It secreted a few dozen of the "balls" i would guess.
Should I be concerned? Or is this a bodily function for the star?
It is now normal and moving around my LR.
Has anyone else ever seen this???? I can't find info talking about this anywhere.
 
reefaddicted

reefaddicted

Member
Most of them made their way into my fuge. They sre still in there. I netted a couple with a shrimp net and they were the consistency of an egg yoke. They basically dissolved away when i tried to touch them also (similar to what an egg yoke would do if you broke it in water.
I hope to hear from Opuira about this as I haved looked in my books and on the net and have not found anything describing this. I did read that females will secrete about a million eggs at a time, so I don't think they were eggs.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Hmmm. So these came out of multiple openings on the side opposite the mouth?
I would say they may very well have been a few eggs, though I don't know for sure. Many of these animals spawn in response to stress, so that may be the explanation for it. That is what I would currently put my money on. The anus is generally more centrally located on the back side.
 
reefaddicted

reefaddicted

Member
yes exactly ...from multiple locations along the legs.
BTW , this star is orange with black pores and brown tentacle feet. Any ID?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Perhaps Fromia milleporella, but I would need a picture to be sure. If it is, the bad news is that many have noted the tendancy of these stars to perish at about the one year mark. Their diet may not be met in our tanks.
 
reefaddicted

reefaddicted

Member
I dearly hope that is not the case. It is currently in a 55g with 100#'s of LR. This tank is going to become the refugium for my new 180g. This is planned for the end of August when the new tank is complete enough.
I guess I'll hope for the best since there seems to be no way to feed by additives.
Thanks for the help.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Will the 180g be a reef tank? If so, I would think that you would have a better chance then most at keeping it.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
No. Especially not large brittlestars. There is a misconception that they will easily regrow a new star if you cut off a leg or something, but that is not the case. Brittlestars do not tend to do this. Some may regrow if the animal is cut in two, but I really don't have any desire to try this. I think it may just as easily be an inhumane way to kill it.
The small white brittlestars are easy to get lots of, but I just let them handle it on their own.
I never recommend trying this with things like Linckia. They will 'arm drop' if conditions are good and they are getting enough food. But it is impossible for people to really determine this on their own. I tend to encourage people to leave that to the seastar as well. In most captive situations, it may merely speed up the death of the star, by costing energy to close the wound and regenerate the arm (energy it may not have), not to mention exposing it to potential diseases.
In short, I don't try, and wouldn't recommend it :)
 
broncofish

broncofish

Active Member
Just making sure. I blasted a kid(employee) at pet*o for telling a customer just to cut a leg off if you want another one. Christ I was mad. I think Livid is a better word for it.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Thank you for clarifying....I was a touch worried about this question! :D ;)
And good of you to, um, clarify this with the employee. The arm of a brittlestar will most certainly not regrow a new star. Absolutely, positively, not.
 
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