I just got a basket and feather star from my LFS!!!! So cool. Anyway what do I need to feed the feather? Will DT's do?

thanks

John

Hate to be the one to tell you this, John. If you would have done your homework before buying those stars you would have found them to be poor choices. Both stars are more than likely going to die in a short period of time. They should not be collected and LFSs that buy them to sell to unsuspecting, or uninformed hobbyists should be taken off your list of LFSs to be supported. They are not conservation minded.

To answer your question about feeding them, your guess is as good as any. That's why they should not be bought. If we buy them, that encourages the LFS to keep buying them, which encourages the importer/wholesaler to keep buying them, which encourages the collector to keep collecting them. Do you see where we, as conservation minded hobbyists, fit into the equation??? We are the decision maker.

On an encouraging note, I know of one Feather Star that has been in captivity for over a year. The owner doesn't have a clew as to what it eats. It survives in a Seahorse tank with low flow. Here's a pic of it....

http://www.theculturedreef.com/FeatherStar.jpg

They are a beautiful critter. this one is being kept by a very experienced reefer. she says, "It never moves from this spot but occasionally opens and expands it's arms." She also says, "It beautiful but, boring."

One of the most important things we can do as reefing forum members is to keep us informed with progress you are having.....good and bad.

The only thing I can add is good luck, with your stars.

Dick

well said Dick, sorry to be the bearers of bad new John. that is why we ALWAYS say to research BEFORE you buy a new tank inhabitant.

Whats wrong with the stars I picked up? I reslize no one really knows what they eat other than they are filter feeders (from the research I have done), but are they endangered or threatened?.

I am feeding dt's daily and just picked up a filter feeder frozen food pack from my LFS. I thought that couldnt hurt, my corals will be happy if not the stars.

Update: The feather has found a spot he likes and opens and closes a few arms every so often. Luckily it is in the front of my tank :) The basket moves little but stretches out across a coral at night...and durring the day balls up... Here is something I found at Basket Star on Coral (http://www.magnergraphix.com/ScubaPics/creaturepix/Basket2.html)

"Basket Stars are one of the stranger cousins of starfish. These creatures look so plantlike that I don't know
how long I have been diving without recognizing these as living animals! These echinoderms attach themselves
to a coral head or sea fan. During the day it coils itself into a knotted ball, but at night it stretches out all
of it's legs into a basket-like shape, fishing for plankton and other microscopic critters.
This photo shows a young Basket Star approximately three inches in diameter."

Whats wrong with the stars I picked up? I reslize no one really knows what they eat other than they are filter feeders (from the research I have done), but are they endangered or threatened?.

You partially answered your own question, "I reslize (realize) no one really knows what they eat". Let's, for instance, just make a case here for you to grasp...You are abducted by little green space people, Martians, and taken to their world, kept in a glass box, and fed a foreign diet of Martian do do. The Martians don't know what your diet consists of but they try what they have at hand. You are most likely going to starve to death even though the Martians had "GOOD INTENTIONS". This is silly but, do you get my point???

No, they are not threatened, YET! But, that has little to do with ethics! Some reefers believe that, unless you are a qualified Marine Biologist or a hobbyist with extensive experience in keeping difficult reef inhabitants, that Basket and Feather Stars be left in their natural environment. Even with 35 years experience keeping marine aquariums exclusively, I do not consider myself qualified to attempt to keep Basket or Feather Stars. There simply is not enough information known about their food requirements to give them a chance at survival in captivity.

As I tried to convey in my post above, just because you can find them in the LFS doesn't make it ethical to purchase them. Here is a direct quote from, "Reef Invertebrates" by Calfo and Fenner.....

"Crinoid Feather Stars and Sea Lilies are categorically tragic aquarium subjects from any perspective in the industry and throughout the chain of custody upon import. Both are very delicate to handle and ship, on top of which they are also extremely impractical, perhaps impossible, for the average aquarist to keep in an aquarium. The mortality of Crinoids as a rule is high when handled, and we wish to make it clear: the casual harvest and keeping of these animals is to be discouraged outside of species specific displays until the primary obstacles of collection and husbandry are finally surmounted. The Gorgonocephalid Basket Stars mirror the delicate nature and suffrage of Crinoids as aquarium subjects and all such admonitions apply here as well."

One trait it would behoove all aquarium hobbyists to become is "professional"! In other words, to raise your level of ethics to the point that you strive for perfection in aquarium keeping endeavorers. Making mistakes is inevitable, it's part of the learning process. What's important is that we learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. That way we move along the learning curve to a higher more "professional" place.

Nice advice.

I will keep anyone who would like to read this thread posted on the stars well being or problems and habits as I observe them. Hopefully I can learn something other than what not to buy.

One could also argue no one would know what to feed any creature except through trial, error, and observation. How would one know what to feed a dog, cat, or clown fish? Either experience, observation, or education by someone with knowledge. Also, I am not feeding the star burgers, steak, and salad. They are not eating martian food, it is natural zoo and phyto planktons. I am feeding the stars what may be a natural food source. I am experimenting with different foods as well as feeding techniques. Hopefully I will find something that is effective and healthy for the stars.

Something interesting I discovered today. A feather star will readliy accept brine and mysis shrimp.

I got my macro and thought I would post some pics
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Photo_John/featherstar.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b169/Photo_John/featherstar2.jpg

Hey,

on episode 84 aka brittle stars they talk about basket and feather stars. very informative.

I talked to a marine biologist about basket/feather stars and he said they will eat almost anything...just crush krill, shrimp, anything protien rich into a powder with a motor and pestal and liquify it to target feed with a pipet/baster.

Nice photos John. While I'd avoid these beautiful critters for the reasons mentioned I will be following this thread to see how you do with them.