feather star

[FLASH]

My local LFS has some crinoids (feather stars). Very interesting critters, anyone have any experience with them. He says they are filter feeders and should do well. I feed DT's or paste regularly.

[MiNdErAsR]

Hmm...in my experience these are *extremely difficult* at best. One of those creatures which should be left in the ocean. If I'm not mistaken, they are very selective of the food particle (plankton) size. If you fail to provide the proper size, it is doomed to starvation. Might be time to find a new LFS, after advise like that.

IMO, YMMV, yadda yadda yadda http://www.thereeftank.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Jim Fox
http://www.geekopolis.com/reef/nos4a2/

[This message has been edited by MiNdErAsR (edited 04-18-2000).]

[Doug1]

I missed the opportunity to reply earlier to this thread, but everything I've read agrees with Minderasers assessment. I think it was Rob Toonen whos kept them alive in the lab tanks, but they are very particular feeders and for the vast majority of aquarists, way out of their league. They are fragile as hell to boiit and not great shippers. Way cool but better off in their native environment.
Not to slam your LFS but to say theyre easy is not true and shows a lack of understanding or character, IMO

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Reef as if your life depended on it, yours might but the sea's does
Doug moderator TheReefTank/ReefCentral

[Reefkeeper]

as stated above, crinoids are not easy to keep in captivity... My one expirence with them was with a red featherstar... I kept it alive for 8 months, but lost it when the sea apple that I had died....(along with ALL the fish in my tank)
From expirence, crinoids do not ship well, either... I out of 5 ordered, one or two will come in in great shape, the rest will be in assorted stages of discombobulation... feather parts floating everywhere in the bag. In nature these creatures hang on to the tops of reef structures or corals using cirri, which are like little prongs. To even get one to let lose is difficult, and probably kills more than are collected alive.

Gene

[youbetyourwrasse]

I have a Feather star (Indo-marbled) in my filter feeding invert tank. It is a greedy feeder, provided that I realize that it is nocturnal and responsive to water current. I feed the tank 3 times a day. I feed "MarineSnow" planktonic stuff and liquified seafood. Crinoids are hard to keep; not impossible.

Mine has a tiny crab hitchhiker. I never saw it when I got it but I look for it everynight now. It is tiny, with pale yellow and purple longitudinal stripes. Now I am responsible for 2 lives instead of 1.
My purple psuedochromis sleeps at night in it's questing arms. I must take a picture of my green and pink cuke and the marbled feather intwined for the nightly feeding ritual. Bizarro!

YBYW.

[MiNdErAsR]

Interesting...how long have you been keeping your feather star?

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Jim Fox
http://www.geekopolis.com/reef/nos4a2/