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kgb
03-26-2003, 02:21 AM
I got a new starfish, Called a "feather starfish" is it going to eat my fish or coral? Do you know what it eats? :razz:

AJ_77
03-26-2003, 02:28 AM
I got a new starfish, Called a "feather starfish" is it going to eat my fish or coral? Do you know what it eats? :razz:
"Though a feather starfish attaching itself to rock just looks like a plant, it is an animal which can swim gracefully with feather-like branches. It collects planktonic drifters with feather-like branches and carries to a mouth, which is on the upper side of a small root disk as well as an anus."

"The feather stars are some of the most primitive animals in the sea. They have up to 200 arms that have sticky feet that pass floating plankton into a channel that runs down each arm to the mouth. Crinoids prefer to anchor themselves to coral that is exposed to strong currents where the most amount of floating plankton drifts by."

"The Feather Starfish is an unusual species that looks more like a plant than a starfish. It ranges in color from brown to orange, yellow, and black. Like the Basket Star, the Feather Starfish is a filter feeder. It is nocturnal, and at night it can be found with its long arms unfurled where it filters plankton from the water."

"The Feather Starfish may grow to 14 inches. Omnivore, like to eat filter feed (invert food, brine shrimp, micro-plankton) a few times per week, when open.. The Himerometra species is generally peaceful toward other tankmates. Reef-safe. Many consider the Himerometra species a medium-maintenance specimen. Not venomous. Algae eater. Needs places to hide. Be careful with copper-based medication and extreme nitrate levels. Do not expose to air. Nocturnal feeder. Can reproduce off a snippet from my arm. Keep water quality high."

HTH,

Troy F
03-26-2003, 02:28 AM
You probably should've asked this before you purchased. I think you'll be a little disappointed when you discover they're extremely difficult to keep alive in home aquaria.

Quinn
03-26-2003, 02:33 AM
crinoid, filter-feeder. take it back and tell the LFS to stop stocking them :evil: not an good aquarium specimen

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/crinoids.htm

Diomedes
03-27-2003, 02:28 AM
Crinoid's are harder to keep in small, newly established aquaria. Since you have one, the best thing you can do is try your hardest to care for it...an unfortunate experiment it is...first pick up a bottle of DT's Live phytoplankton or buy some Phyto paste from Wendell down at Ocean Aquatics...also ask him if he carries a zooplankton type ration. There is little conclusive evidence to support Crinoids being exclusive phytoplankton or zooplankton eaters...Start additions of these products, supplemented with regular weekly additions of live brine shrimp hatchlings enriched with Selcon. This is the best you can do for your new Crinoid, and who knows, maybe it will survive or you will learn something. If you want more detailed info on Crinoid biology just send me a private message.

Note: with extra additions of DT's, Zooplankton substitutes, brine shrimp etc. you will want to institute a more rigorous maintenance schedule with a focus on water changes.

Good Luck

Stephen

naesco
03-27-2003, 02:58 AM
I cant believe that someone is actually importing them.
TeeVee gives good advice.
Take it back to the LFS right now and get a full credit.
If they refuse let us know the name of the store where you purchased it from so we all know.

StirCrazy
03-27-2003, 05:06 AM
If they refuse let us know the name of the store where you purchased it from so we all know.

Yes please tell us as we were all planning on comming out to calgary to buy fish next week and we would hate to shop there :rolleyes:

Steve

Diomedes
03-27-2003, 05:29 AM
I disagree with these guys kgb...While its true that you should have known more about it before you bought it, it is now your responsability to try to care for it...that means getting the most current information and trying to accomodate your crinoid. Don't bail out on your life forms just because you made a mistake...I doubt the LFS that sold you the crinoid cares enough to provide suitable living requirements for it, while you have the chance to try. You might learn something, and that learning experience may contribute to a greater understanding of Crinoids. Taking it back to the LFS is a cop-out and disrespectful of the life involved. Own up to your purchase and work hard to keep it alive...that is the most respectful and resposible thing to do...who knows who will buy it if you return it. I'll help with the info if you wanna do the work.

Troy F
03-28-2003, 02:23 AM
Steve, I'm so glad to see your back and contributing. The point Naesco makes is that if they take a loss on the creature they may learn and stop importing.

naesco
03-28-2003, 02:54 AM
That is exactly the point I am trying to make.
Ignorant or irresponsible LFS and online stores should pay for their mistakes not the reefer.

StirCrazy
03-28-2003, 03:01 AM
and thats the point I am trying to make, Naesco you are so fanatical that you come across as more worried about putting stores out of buisness instead of helping people.. you know when people screw up and make buys they shouldent of.. 99% of the stores will not let you return a fish because you didn't take the time to learn about it befor you bought it.. so why don't we try to help people create a enviorment in which this species "Might" be able to survive instead of just telling him to take it back.. True it shoulden't have been sold or bought, but the store isn't the only one at fault in this purchase, there must be a demand for them (wether it is right or not) or else it would not have been ordered.

Steve

kgb
03-28-2003, 03:31 AM
thanks for all the advice guys. and i agree you are being a tald bit fanatical. second off it was my girlfriend who bought it ( this is not a cop out). i pretty much decided i will keep it. the only thing i am worried about is if it dies will it wreck havock on my 20 gal tank? any ways it seems to be doing fiune and i do 1 20% water change a week and have been feeding my corals and clam with phytoplankton so it should have tons of food.

naesco
03-28-2003, 03:36 AM
When a knowledgeable LFS sells a newbie's girlfriend a critter that the world knows is impossible to keep, I will back the reefer 100% of the time.

The only way they will learn is to suffer the loss and then they wont import them again.

kgb
03-28-2003, 03:41 AM
hahaha first off i aint saying where i got it but i will say this. lfs dont give a ****. sorry for the swear word but they dont. when i was trying to sell louhan stock here in calgary i had to meet most of the owners of the lfs and they dont care . they will do what they want because people just wont back a cause. so in 2 weeks when the smoke clears and every one forgets this they will just start shopping there again.

Quinn
03-28-2003, 04:29 AM
it's such a dissapointment to see an LFS lowering their standards... most of us refuse to buy at petcetera and some of us have issues with big al's, why aren't we boycotting our preferred shops for their crimes. the great lie of capitalism is that consumers have a collective voice, but i think in this case it might almost be true. *some* LFS owners respect their client (i hope), i know LFS X responded reasonably favourably when a certain individual wrote them about their stocking powder blue tangs, if we really have a problem with it, we do have the power to do something about it.

perhaps the easiest thing we can do is ensure other reefers educate themselves before they buy, and tell our girlfriends and boyfriends not to buy us livestock :lol: :cool:

sorry if that sounded really disjointed, it's past my bedtime and i'm struggling with a paper.

sumpfinfishe
03-30-2003, 09:53 AM
Only one small comment from me- research before buying :exclaim:

We should all take the time to learn how to properply care for the animals we keep, and not purchase animals or corals just because they look beautiful. Animals need respect- it's not like buying a new screwdriver or a pair of new shoes.

Rich