crinoid sea star
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greenbean36191
Premium Member
Essentially impossible to keep. Even the people who study these animals haven't been able to keep them consistently.
I have no link at the hand, but you can make a search for the posts of the Kolognekoral. She is able to keep them, but with creating balanced tank (complimenting organisms) and using specialized food. Here crinoids were mentioned.
I you are talking about Himerometra robustipinna (see the image search for pictures), R. Toonen kept it, again with specialized food.
You will need fine food (<= baby brine), zoo and phyto plankton and specialized mixes, place for a stars - when open, the small star could become 4-4.5" in diameter, caves or overhangs and heater guard or the heater in a separate compartment. Dosing the food frequently during the night, and have a good filtration/skimming.
I'm trying crinoids for a few months only, and the choice of species is very important, IMHE:
1. The best was red Himerometra robustipinna: not nocturnal, it opens to feed day and night, do not loses ends of arms, do not wander too much, and starts to regenerate lost during shipping ends of arms pretty fast - love it. Didn't liked the medium-high flow, had to reduce to medium. Placement: on the rock with hangover or few small caves (holes), so it will have a place of choice to sleep, and during feeding the star should face reflected from the glass flow, bringing food. If necessary, I'm moving it with its rock, fist sized.
2. Next - fluffy mottled, ~33 arms (more than thin branched stars have), likely Lamprometra palmata. Beauty, not picky and not particularly sensitive, not a wanderer, do not loses arms as the thin branched do, opens to feed at 6.30 PM (mine is nocturnal, sleeps all day in the cave) up to the morning. Also medium flow.
3. Worst: thin branched, ~21-23 long arms, not fluffy, likely Amphimetra species. Night owls, came out at 7 PM. Wanderers, going in the very high flow, touching heaters (and losing arms after that), two of them tend to occupy the same place int the tank, even if the similar paces are available. More sensitive to water quality, and I suspect to oxygen concentration. Arms are starting to regenerate, but then they wander in improper place and losing the next piece. Not good.
Sorry of being not much of help, but I'm new to this.
If you find useful information, post here, please .
I you are talking about Himerometra robustipinna (see the image search for pictures), R. Toonen kept it, again with specialized food.
You will need fine food (<= baby brine), zoo and phyto plankton and specialized mixes, place for a stars - when open, the small star could become 4-4.5" in diameter, caves or overhangs and heater guard or the heater in a separate compartment. Dosing the food frequently during the night, and have a good filtration/skimming.
I'm trying crinoids for a few months only, and the choice of species is very important, IMHE:
1. The best was red Himerometra robustipinna: not nocturnal, it opens to feed day and night, do not loses ends of arms, do not wander too much, and starts to regenerate lost during shipping ends of arms pretty fast - love it. Didn't liked the medium-high flow, had to reduce to medium. Placement: on the rock with hangover or few small caves (holes), so it will have a place of choice to sleep, and during feeding the star should face reflected from the glass flow, bringing food. If necessary, I'm moving it with its rock, fist sized.
2. Next - fluffy mottled, ~33 arms (more than thin branched stars have), likely Lamprometra palmata. Beauty, not picky and not particularly sensitive, not a wanderer, do not loses arms as the thin branched do, opens to feed at 6.30 PM (mine is nocturnal, sleeps all day in the cave) up to the morning. Also medium flow.
3. Worst: thin branched, ~21-23 long arms, not fluffy, likely Amphimetra species. Night owls, came out at 7 PM. Wanderers, going in the very high flow, touching heaters (and losing arms after that), two of them tend to occupy the same place int the tank, even if the similar paces are available. More sensitive to water quality, and I suspect to oxygen concentration. Arms are starting to regenerate, but then they wander in improper place and losing the next piece. Not good.
Sorry of being not much of help, but I'm new to this.
If you find useful information, post here, please .
aninjaatemyshoe
New member
I know of someone who's kept a few different species for up to seven years now. It's the same guy who owns this tank: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-02/feature/index.php
He's reported success for quite some time now, but the mantra about crinoids being impossible continues. The reality is that the vast majority of us do not have setups that can support them. They are incredibly difficult, but certainly proven possible.
philter4
New member
I've kept golden ones I've collected myself with some long term(several years) success, mostly because of the quality of the new foods available. I have also noticed that they do not do well if they are ever exposed to air, and most of the imported ones who knows how they were cared for before they reach our tanks. If they were held too long with improper food and care they are too difficult an animal to be brought back into health.
I have never tried one that was imported so the ones I have kept have all been cared for from the day they were taken from the ocean. One of the prettiest ones I've ever collected was given to a friend and it is thriving in his tank for almost a year, I know this isn't long term in the big picture, but it is still doing well and with the availability of the proper sized foods maybe we could see more and more of them surviving.
I have never tried one that was imported so the ones I have kept have all been cared for from the day they were taken from the ocean. One of the prettiest ones I've ever collected was given to a friend and it is thriving in his tank for almost a year, I know this isn't long term in the big picture, but it is still doing well and with the availability of the proper sized foods maybe we could see more and more of them surviving.
greenbean36191
Premium Member
(emphasis added)
Yes, it's possible to keep them. It's also possible to keep things like dorid nudibranchs, which I've done myself. Nautilus are possible too. The Waikiki Aquarium even breeds them. Still if someone asks how to keep either of them I would tell them that it's nearly impossible. It is, especially if you just got to the LFS and "pick one up."
For starters you've got to have appropriate flow, which most people don't. Then you have to provide the right foods in the right amounts. Given that their diets are poorly studied that's hard to do even for the people who study them. They can keep some species with a fair degree of success; others they can't. Even the best species still have high mortality.
It's one thing to try to build a tank around one and have a clear idea of how to judge what is and isn't working. It's totally different to just go down to the LFS and pick one up and try things haphazardly just to see if you'll have any luck.
aninjaatemyshoe
New member
I absolutely agree. Nobody should get one unless they've studied how others have had success and set up their tanks specifically to handle them.
