Feather Star Care

[keddre]

Information on an pertaining to the Feather Star (Crinoidea)
*I would like to disclose I have never kept this species and this is based on pure research

Quick Facts
Level: Advanced
Water Flow: High
PH: 8.1-8.4
Temperature: 72-78 F.
Specific Gravity: 1.023-1.025
Size: 14"
Reef Safe: yes

Feeding

This species is a filter feeder that feeds on platonic foods, mainly zooplankton of a size of 400 μ. Similar to the crowns of Feather Dusters, the Feather Star uses its arms to capture food in the water column and move it towards its mouth. In the home aquarium it would be best to run a tank with excess phyto and zooplankton.​

Tank Setup

This species comes from fast and shallow waters, where they swim to the water and hang on to sea fans, rocks, plants, etc. In the home aquarium you want to dedicated a large tank where there are plenty of objects to grab onto. Due to the fast waters that sea feathers require, the home aquarium should have high flow and it is highly recommended to run a surge system on your tank.
It should also be noted that due to their exploratory nature and their attraction to high flow, all intakes and power heads should be covered.
​

Introducing to the tank

As with all inverts, it is best to use the drip acclimation method over a period of two or more hours.
​

Sensitivities

Like all inverts, these creatures are sensitive to copper and it should be avoided in the tank. This species is also highly sensitive to nitrates so the tank they are going into should be mature with little to no traces.
​

Signs of Stress

When a Feather Star is stressed or harassed, the will drop their arms; while these will regrow in nature, this rarely occurs in captivity and should be avoided at all costs. If your star starts to lose its arms, it is advised to check parameters immediately. If all parameters are in check then increase feedings as it could also be a sign of starvation. When all arms are lost, the star will become unable to feed and starve to death.
​

Breeding

Feather Stars breed by releasing sperm/eggs into the water column. 35 hours after the eggs are fertilized, they turn into a larva state. After 4-13 days (with ~5 being the most common) the larva sink to the substrate and take on the form of a feather star
​

Recommendations

• Due to their fragility, I recommend you use a cup to transfer your star instead of a net or your hand
• Due to the need of constant food in the water column, I recommend the limitation, if not removal, of mechanical filtration

Fun Fact

The Feather Star has one opening on their top which plays the role of a mouth and an anus​

 

[keddre]

References and More Reading

• http://www.freshmarine.com/
  feather-sea-star.html
• https://australianmuseum.net.
  au/orange-feather-star
• http://m.liveaquaria.com/PIC/
  article.cfm?aid=194
• http://blog.reefcharter.com/
  2010/03/feather-stars.html
• https://link.springer.com/
  article/10.1007%2FBF00392257?LI=true
• https://link.springer.com/
  article/10.1007%2FBF00355592?LI=true

 

[Gweeds1980]

Thank you for this!! Here's mine... picked up only yesterday... a complete impulse buy although I did know what I was getting into... the captive survival rate is basically zero. I've read one verified report of one living for at least 2.5 years, but it was in a non photosynthetic coral tank and was basically constantly fed all day, every day.

I have seen it eating my homebrew food and today I picked up some zooplanktos-s and reef blizzard-0, both of which apparently contain suitable food sizes. I've fed homebrew twice today and each of the above twice too... so 6 feeds in total. I certainly saw more activity from it at each feed.

I'm going to start a diary thread for mine, just in case it does live... then hopefully will be helpful for others... if it doesn't, people will know what to change!

Pic from today.

 

[keddre]

Thank you for this!! Here's mine... picked up only yesterday... a complete impulse buy although I did know what I was getting into... the captive survival rate is basically zero. I've read one verified report of one living for at least 2.5 years, but it was in a non photosynthetic coral tank and was basically constantly fed all day, every day.

I have seen it eating my homebrew food and today I picked up some zooplanktos-s and reef blizzard-0, both of which apparently contain suitable food sizes. I've fed homebrew twice today and each of the above twice too... so 6 feeds in total. I certainly saw more activity from it at each feed.

I'm going to start a diary thread for mine, just in case it does live... then hopefully will be helpful for others... if it doesn't, people will know what to change!

Pic from today.

Sounds good. Link your diary thread here when you get it started

 

[Gweeds1980]

Sounds good. Link your diary thread here when you get it started

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/319296/

 

[Dana Borgeson]

Sounds good. Link your diary thread here when you get it started

Really would like to know how your feather star adventure turned out. I just purchased the same, a beautiful scarlet FS, acclimated it to my SPS reef tank over 4 hours yesterday, then noticed it wasn’t moving/dis-attached this AM. Hoping it will recover in the sump…maybe the flow was too much in the DT? (Thought they liked high flow with dead spots!). If you have any pointers, I’m open to suggestion. I first had a small green and black one 15 years ago in a mixed reef and fish tank. It ”disappeared” within days, and I never saw it again. Then, about 18 months later, I was disassembling the tank to move it, and it was on the Back side of my rockwork, where I couldn’t see it, and apparently thriving! This emboldened me to try with this new one….not good, so far.

 

[Stomatopods17]

Really would like to know how your feather star adventure turned out. I just purchased the same, a beautiful scarlet FS, acclimated it to my SPS reef tank over 4 hours yesterday, then noticed it wasn’t moving/dis-attached this AM. Hoping it will recover in the sump…maybe the flow was too much in the DT? (Thought they liked high flow with dead spots!). If you have any pointers, I’m open to suggestion. I first had a small green and black one 15 years ago in a mixed reef and fish tank. It ”disappeared” within days, and I never saw it again. Then, about 18 months later, I was disassembling the tank to move it, and it was on the Back side of my rockwork, where I couldn’t see it, and apparently thriving! This emboldened me to try with this new one….not good, so far.

This is an old thread but typically they aren't successful for long.

If you're still interested;

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These are the only two 'success' stories I know of where they were thriving.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is an extremely difficult specimen for advanced aquarist and even challenges experts. I ordered them at my LFS and none made it more than 2 weeks. Just a slight change in nitratesm temperature and salinity an they are already in trouble.