Orange linkia star just showed up

[scotty37]

I noticed that the tips of 2 of its arms are hanging off/on. and that in those 2 arms all the suctions cup area (stomache?) has been dispensed into the bag. Is this normal? Is it dying? I do see movement in the other 3 legs, but the 2 legs look rough.

 

[alix2.0]

it was a hitchhiker right? its probably dying of acclimation shock.
edit// rereading your post im thinking you ordered the star and it showed up that way. i missed the part about the bag. either way, im sorry your star is dying. i had one and it started doing this a week later it was dead.

 

[scotty37]

yes you are right, i ordered it from here.

 

[alix2.0]

keep an eye on it, did you acclimate it into a QT? if not be careful, your cleanup crew might eat it. when your sure its dead salt it up and mail it back to get your $20.

 

[scotty37]

It just showed up at my office that way. Im taking it to the house here shortly to let it temp acclimate til lunch.

 

[ophiura]

Of course, seastars have remarkable abilities to regenerate...if tank params are ideal (in particular specific gravity 1.025-1.026), there is hope. Don't write it off yet, but careful handling and acclimation will be pretty important. I would try and isolate it from hermits and such once completed (eg...do you have a refugium?) or even a critter carrier or similar container placed in the tank.

 

[scotty37]

I just got it home to get it drip acclimating. It was moving around but looked pretty rough. I have it isolated with a divider from everything else thats acclimating. I do have a refugium, that has nassarius snails, a few turbos, and one hermit. I have all mineral mud in there, do you think thats the best place for it... the DT just "appears" to have much better environment, but I understand what you mean. Do you think thats where I should put it? I guess its because I use the fuge to grow stuff off the bad stuff that I am hesitent in putting it in there.

 

[ophiura]

Yeah, but the bad stuff is in the water

To be honest...I have no idea if the miracle mud would be the best substrate for it. Do you have a lot of crabs in the main display?

 

[scotty37]

Id say there are 40-50 crabs in the DT. I too wonder about the mineral mud substrate.

 

[scotty37]

120 gallons btw

 

[saltwaterfish.com]

It might have got some rough handling in shipping. Keep us posted at fish@saltwaterfish.com. If it is just the tips, it should be ok, deeper into the arms are cause for concern.
Scott

 

[scotty37]

Im away from it right now, but i do remember that one arm was, for lack of a better term, "empty" toward the base, then there was an ok section, and the tip was ugly.

 

[scotty37]

Also when I was acclimating, I found a couple orange stringy sections floating around

 

[scotty37]

I went ahead and put it in my DT, didnt trust the mud substrate. Hes still moving around, but all his arm tips are busted up. Nothing in the tank is bothering him at all. Hoping for a regenerate recovery.

 

[scotty37]

2 day later update... hes still pretty much in the same place I have put him, but hes still moving around. The tips are still looking terrible obviously, and one leg is kinda bumpy now, but otherwise hes still hanging in there.

 

[emm0909]

Make sure you have enough to feed it. Usually linkas just starve in the home aquarium.

 

[emm0909]

Make sure you have enough to feed it. Usually linkas just starve in the home aquarium.