what's eating my linkia?!

[the-elliotts]

I have a small blue linkia. Approx 4 inches. He'll look fine before bed and in the morning something has eaten him. whatever it is eat eats slices out of his arms, one time actually severed a tip off. this time it's on three arms. I have one gold banded shrimp a some hermits in the tank. Are these the culprits? or is something else eating him? http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd31 ... G_1694.jpg

 

[metalac]

how big are these hermits? they seem pretty vicious and fearless.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know if it is being eaten per se, it's possible the star is being picked on by the hermits because it is not in good health to begin with (when stars decline they sort of die from the ends of the arms inwards). Linkas are notorious for that type of spiraling decline.

How long has it been in your tank, and have you seen the hermits chewing on it? If this happens only after the lights are out you can spy on the tank with a flashlight with red film covering the lens. The red colored food plastic wrap is cheap and works great for that.

 

[the-elliotts]

I've had him for about one year. I wonder what happened? thanks for the info. will check out my tank tonight.

 

[camaroracer214]

the linkia might be starving in your tank causing it to become stressed and susceptible to nibbling by others. usually when a hermit crab is chewing on a living organism, it means that the animal is in poor health. hermits don't usually attack healthy animals in the tank, with exceptions however.

how big is your tank and how much bioload do you have? if your tank is small or has too little a bioload, there may not be enough food produced for your star to eat. this is why sand sifting stars usually die too. they eat themselves out house and home.

 

[c-town]

there a parsite snail that often attack linkas, you should be able to see them in the wound if that it