Feather star (crinoid)

Care at a glance

The feather star belongs to one of the oldest animal groups on the reef and unfolds a crown of feathery arms at night to filter plankton from the current. By day it clings under an overhang with small grasping arms, often fully folded up.

For the aquarium it is exceptionally difficult: it needs a continuous supply of fine plankton and starves in virtually every ordinary system within a few months. Only someone running a system with permanent plankton dosing and strong flow should consider it.

Good to know

• Hard to wean onto dry food
• Filter feeder — needs fine suspended food
• Needs a mature, stable tank

Related species

• Berghia nudibranch (aiptasia eater)Berghia stephanieae
• Sally lightfoot crabPercnon gibbesi
• Pom-pom crab (boxer crab)Lybia tessellata
• Tiger pistol shrimpAlpheus bellulus
• Dwarf zebra hermit crabCalcinus laevimanus
• Electric blue hermit crabCalcinus elegans