[AJ_77]

Originally Posted by kgb

I got a new starfish, Called a "feather starfish" is it going to eat my fish or coral? Do you know what it eats?

"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,