Linckia, Fromia, and All Other Amazing Starfish Keeper Club!

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 12, 2022

@revhtree Would it be possible for a small group of members who keep "higher-difficulty" level starfish to form a small group/club as we're all very enthusiastic and passionate about our Echinoderm friends? We actually all happened to come together on a thread earlier to share pictures, husbandry techniques, and spend time discussing these awesome creatures! We'd really appreciate it if you could arrange this since there are so few people out there who have been successful with these species!
Thank you!

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 12, 2022

@Chortanator you're welcome to join too!

Chortanator · Jun 12, 2022

livinlifeinBKK said:
@Chortanator you're welcome to join too!

I'd love to try again at keeping a fromia now that my tank is mature (my tiled starfish was beautiful). But I want to make sure I do it right before I try again!

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 12, 2022

Chortanator said:
I'd love to try again at keeping a fromia now that my tank is mature (my tiled starfish was beautiful). But I want to make sure I do it right before I try again!

Do some research not just about how to keep them in aquariums but try to understand as much as you can about the whole animal...that'll help a ton!

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 18, 2022

We still need to start this group!! Starfish are some amazingly unique and complex creatures and it would be cool to see pictures of everyone's star!

JCM · Jun 18, 2022

What are you considering long term success? And how many people have achieved this success?

Can't help with a group, but sharing your methods to success would be helpful to alot of people.

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 18, 2022

JCM said:
What are you considering long term success? And how many people have achieved this success?

Can't help with a group, but sharing your methods to success would be helpful to alot of people.

I haven't had what I would consider long term success yet but the others tagged have... personally I'vee been doing research day and night to learn my starfish inside and out to give this guy the best shot at a long life as I possibly can! The reason I want to start a club in the first place is to celebrate something you're truly passionate about with others who share the same enthusiasm...I can certainly tell you plenty I've learned about the biology of Fromias and technically could give you some advice I think is pretty solid (through my studies I've could probably give you some decent guidelines to follow that would be better than most people's) but before I've had him long term I wouldn't feel right about leading you in a certain direction.

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 18, 2022

@JCM now that I've been completely honest with you if you still want to ask anything go ahead! If it's something I don't feel sure about I'll let you know so right off!

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 18, 2022

Hey, something you guys might find interesting that can indicate health to a certain extent of some starfish species is actually how clean they appear. I know that sounds ridiculous but species such as Fromia indica and Linckia laevigata among others have antifouling defenses which keep them looking really clean when healthy!

JCM · Jun 18, 2022

livinlifeinBKK said:
I haven't had what I would consider long term success yet but the others tagged have... personally I'vee been doing research day and night to learn my starfish inside and out to give this guy the best shot at a long life as I possibly can! The reason I want to start a club in the first place is to celebrate something you're truly passionate about with others who share the same enthusiasm...I can certainly tell you plenty I've learned about the biology of Fromias and technically could give you some advice I think is pretty solid (through my studies I've could probably give you some decent guidelines to follow that would be better than most people's) but before I've had him long term I wouldn't feel right about leading you in a certain direction.

Appreciate the info!

They seem to be frequently asked about creatures, so having a bunch of experiences to point to in one thread would be worthwhile.

The only long term success I've seen has been limited to a few individuals with very large, very mature tanks. If someone has "cracked the code" to feeding them sufficiently, I'm sure a ton of folks would love to know (me included).

livinlifeinBKK · Jun 18, 2022

JCM said:
Appreciate the info!

They seem to be frequently asked about creatures, so having a bunch of experiences to point to in one thread would be worthwhile.

The only long term success I've seen has been limited to a few individuals with very large, very mature tanks. If someone has "cracked the code" to feeding them sufficiently, I'm sure a ton of folks would love to know (me included).

It's funny you would say that because I'm actually working on identifying the essential elements contained in the benthic biofilms they consume and attempting to develop a way to grow it!

JCM · Jun 18, 2022

livinlifeinBKK said:
It's funny you would say that because I'm actually working on identifying the essential elements contained in the benthic biofilms they consume and attempting to develop a way to grow it!

I'll be interested to read more when you get it figured out!