Red & Blue Linckia Starfish Meet Up

[Ben Pedersen]

Looked at my tank tonight and my red and blue Linckia starfish were together. I have never seen them associate with each other. They were actually touching arms when I first saw them.

 

[lapin]

Kool

 

[fandaga]

I would LOVE to keep them. It’s awesome that you have success!!

 

[Sam7]

They were communictaing how can we escape this glass box theres no food to eat

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Ha.. Maybe. They met up 3 night in a row.. During the day they would go to different locations.

I haven’t seen them together since.

 

[GarrettDie4U]

Maybe some Ocean Fever i see a couple of cute mixed babies in your future :)

 

[Ben Pedersen]

They are at it again.. Meeting up in the same corner of the tank at around the same time.

 

[JonoH]

They are at it again.. Meeting up in the same corner of the tank at around the same time.

Probably eating each other...

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Probably eating each other...

Interesting idea. I don’t think so. I’ve had them for more than a year, they aren’t getting smaller and they are not damaged after the encounter.

Maybe they are eating. When I feed mysis shrimp the water currents cause it to float in that area of the tank. Even though it gets eaton by the fish, maybe a bio film builds up on the glass and the starfish are eating it.

 

[Tahoe61]

Following that pheromone trail. Awesome tank inhabitants. One of the few reasons I would get a larger tank is to keep Linckia.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Following that pheromone trail. Awesome tank inhabitants. One of the few reasons I would get a larger tank is to keep Linckia.

Maybe.. after one of their encounters, my protein skimmer went crazy.. maybe spawning?

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Tonight I go look at my tank and the red Linckia is having a meet up with my halloween sea urchin (Tripneustes gratilla). Strangely, it is on the other side of the tank from where it usually meets up with the blue Linckia starfish.

Full tank shot for reference. The tank is 36” wide.. it is an 80 gallon. The red and blue usually meet up on the top right side.

 

[dedragon]

that starfish just wants some friends and i love it lol

 

[Ben Pedersen]

that starfish just wants some friends and i love it lol

Don’t we all.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Just looked again and the starfish and urchin have crossed the tank together and are where the two starfish usually meet up..

What does it mean? :)

 

[JonoH]

Love it!

Probably a bio-film on the glass they are both feasting on.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Love it!

Probably a bio-film on the glass they are both feasting on.

That’s what I’m thinking.. When I feed, mysis and krill gets stuck in a vortex in that corner. The proteins and amino acids probably creat a yummy bio film on the glass.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

Nice, are they hard to keep? How would one do in a tank 120x50x80 with a lot of rock. Thinking of getting one. Can’t find a whole pile of info though on people keeping them. Thanks

 

[TX_REEF]

BFFs

 

[Ben Pedersen]

Nice, are they hard to keep? How would one do in a tank 120x50x80 with a lot of rock. Thinking of getting one. Can’t find a whole pile of info though on people keeping them. Thanks

I’ve heard they are hard to keep. I don’t do anything for the ones I have other than feed heavy. I have way to many fish in that tank. With that said, I have never seen them eat the food I feed the fish. I think they eat bacteria that coats live rock and the glass. If your tank is mature and dirty. :) they will probably do fine.


As you can see, too many fish. This is an old photo, some of those fish out grew the tank so I sold them and replaced them with others.