Feather starfish

alexytman · Aug 24, 2018

I purchased two feather star for $20. One smaller one about as big as a small plate. One was acclimated to my 80g predator reef, the other in my 40g fish only.

So far it's been three days since the purchase, the star was said to be kept in the LFS for a few months and no feathers falling (was kept there for so long as it is in a remote location with little customers).

What i noticed after adding is that after a minute or two when I feed my mysis, they begin to wave wave feathers then stay closed. Is this feeding? Can someone give me more tips and advice?

reefwiser · Aug 24, 2018

Feather stars are plankton feeders and will not survive with out a constant feeding for plankton in the water column.Sadly LFS get these as either extras in their orders or order them. They should not be sold or collected from the wild. They will die in your aquarium because you do not have a constant feed of plankton for them to feed on.

cristata.reef · Aug 24, 2018

@Kamden Uelton we need your expertise. As said above crinoids are hard to keep. They will only eat particulate matter of a certain micron size which varies by species (which are almost impossible to positively identify, since they have variable appearances).

Bongo Shrimp · Aug 24, 2018

I kept several for over 4 years and the above comments are accurate. I tailored my system to fit their needs, as they are not an animal that you can throw into any aquarium and hope it'll live. Closing up is a sign that they are uncomfortable or are being irritated. When they feed, they do wave their arms in the water column, but they don't just close up. If they are eating, food will be caught by the pinnules and then worked down the center of the arm towards the mouth. Sometimes they appear to be eating, but either end up lacking the proper nutrition or the food doesn't actually end up being ingested. Therefore it can look like they are eating well, but they still slowly starve. It can take them many months to starve, so it's difficult to measure success with these animals. I can only assume that mine were indeed eating considering they lived for over 4 years and as a rule of thumb (developed from personal experience), I always tell everyone to wait 8 months to a year before they consider what they are doing to be working. As mentioned above, not all species will eat the same foods. I have worked with several species over the years, and I was successful with only two. The system was fed at least three times a day (usually more) with a mixture of 4 small size frozen foods. I ended up losing the ones I had for over 4 years to a large parameter swing.

alexytman · Aug 24, 2018

Bongo Shrimp said:
I kept several for over 4 years and the above comments are accurate. I tailored my system to fit their needs, as they are not an animal that you can throw into any aquarium and hope it'll live. Closing up is a sign that they are uncomfortable or are being irritated. When they feed, they do wave their arms in the water column, but they don't just close up. If they are eating, food will be caught by the pinnules and then worked down the center of the arm towards the mouth. Sometimes they appear to be eating, but either end up lacking the proper nutrition or the food doesn't actually end up being ingested. Therefore it can look like they are eating well, but they still slowly starve. It can take them many months to starve, so it's difficult to measure success with these animals. I can only assume that mine were indeed eating considering they lived for over 4 years and as a rule of thumb (developed from personal experience), I always tell everyone to wait 8 months to a year before they consider what they are doing to be working. As mentioned above, not all species will eat the same foods. I have worked with several species over the years, and I was successful with only two. The system was fed at least three times a day (usually more) with a mixture of 4 small size frozen foods. I ended up losing the ones I had for over 4 years to a large parameter swing.

The live fish store kept it for 6 to 7months apparently, does that mean I only have like a month with them at most?

Bongo Shrimp · Aug 24, 2018

alexytman said:
The live fish store kept it for 6 to 7months apparently, does that mean I only have like a month with them at most?

No, not necessarily because idk how long it’s been since they last ate. It’s best not to look at them as disposable since they are live animals. If you can’t provide the necessary environment and care, I suggest taking them back to the LFS you got them fromso maybe they or someone else can. I would also suggest researching things like this before buying them because purchasing these animals only encourages LFSs to bring in more.

alexytman · Aug 24, 2018

Bongo Shrimp said:
No, not necessarily because idk how long it’s been since they last ate. It’s best not to look at them as disposable since they are live animals. If you can’t provide the necessary environment and care, I suggest taking them back to the LFS you got them fromso maybe they or someone else can. I would also suggest researching things like this before buying them because purchasing these animals only encourages LFSs to bring in more.

Sorry, another reason I bought these without research was because the lfs is remote with little customers and he needed space so he said he might need to get rid of it for new shipments. I didn't want to see it die so I took it. (Hence the low price) lfs in my area suffers because alot of people go online.

norfolkgarden · Aug 25, 2018

alexytman said:
Sorry, another reason I bought these without research was because the lfs is remote with little customers and he needed space so he said he might need to get rid of it for new shipments. I didn't want to see it die so I took it. (Hence the low price) lfs in my area suffers because alot of people go online.

"might need to get rid of it for new shipments."

??

alexytman · Aug 25, 2018

norfolkgarden said:
"might need to get rid of it for new shipments."

??

The lfs is smaller than a apartment because rent...

Bongo Shrimp · Aug 25, 2018

alexytman said:
I didn't want to see it die so I took it.

So you knew they were incredibly difficult to keep alive, didn't know how to keep them alive, bought them from a LFS that seemed to be doing well keeping them alive, because you didn't want to see them die? I'm having trouble making sense of this story, not that it really matters.

alexytman · Aug 26, 2018

Bongo Shrimp said:
So you knew they were incredibly difficult to keep alive, didn't know how to keep them alive, bought them from a LFS that seemed to be doing well keeping them alive, because you didn't want to see them die? I'm having trouble making sense of this story, not that it really matters.

Like I said, I had no idea what they were. I found out after I got them. What I mean is they were gonna throw them out in the bin. They only have two coral tanks and they just got more corals so he needed to remove it.

norfolkgarden · Aug 26, 2018

alexytman said:
Like I said, I had no idea what they were. I found out after I got them. What I mean is they were gonna throw them out in the bin. They only have two coral tanks and they just got more corals so he needed to remove it.

Yeah, that was what I was afraid of.

I think you did the right thing buying them.
That is certainly better than throwing them in the trash.

Not sure what your choices are for LFS but I really don't like this guy already.

Anyway, unfortunately, most of the news is bad news as far as their survival goes.

(I am strictly guessing here!) You could try vodka dosing and or vinegar dosing (very small amounts!) Google it for your tank size and instructions.
The reason I would make that crazy suggestion is based on another thread, where people are trying to successfully raised dendrophelia. (Soft NPS corals. They die even faster than the feather stars. But they are so pretty people keep selling them. )

Apparently they may eat such small things as bacteria. Basically stuff so small that we don't really have normal food stocks for it.

Vodka and vinegar dosing is supposed to provide building blocks for increased bacterial colonization that is supposed to reduce nitrates and phosphates.

Combining these 2 ideas gives me the silly suggestion I just made.

It can't hurt. 99% of the people that have owned the feather stars have lost them in less than a year.
Trying something new may be a success.

Kamden Uelton · Aug 27, 2018

I apologize for not being able to comment sooner, I have lots of school work but let's get to the case... My 3 Feather Stars feed on Very Small Micron Sizes... I recommend you use Brightwell Reef Blizzard-O, The Micron size of that food is 2-50m which should be in the size range of most Feather Stars.

I have my Mom and Dad feed the tank while I'm away at high school and feed roughly 4-5 times a day, If you do not want your tank looking "ugly" with algae I would recommend finding someone experienced and giving them the Feather Starfish as they need constant, Heavy feedings multiple times a day.

I have tried Phytoplankton in the past and it didn't seem to work well for me... After 2 weeks of only phyto, they started to drop arms and not open as much. Rotifers worked for me short term but I couldn't afford to buy $50 worth of Rotifers every Wednesday and Saturday to keep up with my Heavy Feedings, If you can do Rotifers I recommend that over processed foods anyway, If you have any other questions @Bongo Shrimp and I are happy to help as Feather Star Keepers!

EDIT : I aplogize for any Grammar Mistakes I am sending this @ 12:00

Kamden Uelton · Aug 27, 2018

Oh and I've had mine for a Year and a Half, Mine drop small parts of their arms occasionally when I slack off but they grow very fast with Iodine Supplementation.

AC1211 · Aug 29, 2018

Good luck with the multiple feedings and keeping perfect water quality.

alexytman · Sep 1, 2018

Kamden Uelton said:
Oh and I've had mine for a Year and a Half, Mine drop small parts of their arms occasionally when I slack off but they grow very fast with Iodine Supplementation.

Can you help Me... My feather star just released these weird strings from it's center. I don't think it's stressed because it's not closed up. Is it because of it's position? It planted itself next to the return.

Bongo Shrimp · Sep 1, 2018

alexytman said:
Can you help Me... My feather star just released these weird strings from it's center. I don't think it's stressed because it's not closed up. Is it because of it's position? It planted itself next to the return.

Do you have a pic? I believe I have seen this before but would like to see what you have going on.