OP
OP
Yeah, it's doing well so far
Moved again... this time a bit more visible, I'll get a pic up once lights are on... no lost arms as far as I have seen
Feather star diary...
- Thread starter Gweeds1980
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Moved again... this time a bit more visible, I'll get a pic up once lights are on... no lost arms as far as I have seen
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
Hi! I'm new to this forum, made an account just to ask you these questions anyway.
I'm very interested in feather stars, i recently found one on the beach (lucky) and i think its doing well so far. It's small and yellow i kinda don't like the color and i was interested in the red ones, my LFS has 45 Red Feather Stars in stock because the wholesaler somehow mistook them for Red Brittle Stars. Anyway, is it easy to care for the red ones?? do you think it will eat Fauna Marin Ultra Min F and Fauna Marin Ultra Sea Fan?? Also i'm a freshman currently, would i have to feed it 6 - 10 times a day or would 2 - 3 work, I currently have a Copepod culture so i think it'll be fine with just the Copepods. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I'm very interested in feather stars, i recently found one on the beach (lucky) and i think its doing well so far. It's small and yellow i kinda don't like the color and i was interested in the red ones, my LFS has 45 Red Feather Stars in stock because the wholesaler somehow mistook them for Red Brittle Stars. Anyway, is it easy to care for the red ones?? do you think it will eat Fauna Marin Ultra Min F and Fauna Marin Ultra Sea Fan?? Also i'm a freshman currently, would i have to feed it 6 - 10 times a day or would 2 - 3 work, I currently have a Copepod culture so i think it'll be fine with just the Copepods. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
keddre
Well-Known Member
This is a huge messup! I would tell you to suggest to your lfs that they send it back for a refund. Anyway what lfs is it? I might look at it.
Red ones tend to be harder. I think, don't quote me on this part, but I think they are even pickier on food.
Shot in the dark. Feather Star gut analysis shows they tend to eat platonic foods around 400 microns plus some "much" smaller phyto. These two foods don't specify what their micron size is so you would be taking a gamble.
It's not ideal but if you had no mechanical filtration, the star was the only thing in the tank and dosed HEAVILY, it would theoretically work because nothing but the feather star would be able to take the food out the water column but I would bet that isn't the case in your tank.
What's type of pods is it? If you don't know the micron size it would be another shot in the dark. Just for refrence, newly hatched brine shrimp tend to be around 450ish microns.
Further readings:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/feather-star-care.319147/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00355592?LI=true
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00392257?LI=true
OP
OP
I'd add to this... get your set up sorted before even considering a red FS... by all accounts they are the most difficult to keep and feed. Also, the food size @keddre mentioned is way too big ime. The best response seems to come from food around the 50 micron mark. I would suggest contacting the manufacturers and asking them what size particles are in those products and what makes it up... if it's as per the post on here from @AcroNem you may be onto a winner. Fyi... the JBL korall fluid seems to be working well and I think is readily available. Golden pearls 5-50 micron seems to be a great food and is readily available online.
I'd not be keeping any other filter feeders in the tank and you need to make sure you've got some upwelling current... that seems to be important (makes sense given that in the wild red feathers feed at night, when there is a huge movement of plankton from the depths to the surface... iow the FS expects food to come up from under it).
In terms of feedings... it's all about keeping food in the system for as long as possible without fouling the water. I go for full reef filtration and just adding food almost constantly. If you ran skimmerless and without much in the way of mechanical filtration, you'd be able to feed less often as it'd stay in circulation that much longer.
keddre
Well-Known Member
@Kamden Uelton I would follow Gweeds on the size as he actually keeps one. Plus "feather like" feeders do tend to seat smaller anyway.
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
hi thanks for replying, my setup is a 30g mixed reef with mostly Gorgonians, i have 2 nonphotoshnthetic and 2 photosynthetic, i grow and sell bridsnest and green acropora to make some profit from my hobby and i do 5 gallon water changes every week, i am dosing 10ml of Calc and Alk a day to keep my my Deresa Clam and SPS happy. I also have a yellow sea cucumber who recently split and the yellow feather i found at the beach has been with me for about 4 months now and has grown 3 new arms thank you for the reply and if i end up getting the feather star i will buy those products right away!!
OP
OP
Finally a pic!! Little monkey vanished again... today he's back in the semi open... not a great pic, but best I can do on my phone... proof he lives at least lol.
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
any new pics?
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
well today i visited
the LFS and they had a $15 yellow and green feather star! here’s a pic
OP
OP
Cool!! They are allegedly easier than the reds toowell today i visitedthe LFS and they had a $15 yellow and green feather star! here’s a pic
No pics atm... he's gone off behind rockwork again!
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
Cool!! They are allegedly easier than the reds too
No pics atm... he's gone off behind rockwork again!
yes i’ve read the stickier the little arms are the easier they are to care for, this little guys arms are STICKY took a while for me to get him off my hand during acclimation
well today i visitedthe LFS and they had a $15 yellow and green feather star! here’s a pic
That's the species I had as a hitchhiker when I first started that lasted a few years even with my no clue caring.
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
Yes, this one is VERY easy to care for from my experience so far, It eats mysis shrimp, I've watched it eat a small piece of krill and some bloodworms
OP
OP
Ha ha, yeah the jellies are fine! Reproducing in the sump and just kinda chilling out! FS is fine... had to adjust flow again for it, was being bothered by a sinularia nearby his 'tunnel' so decided to move... possibly more natural behaviour now, spends most of the day at the back behind rocks, unfurled but hiding out. At night, he's climbing up the rock to a spot which overlooks open water and medium flow. I've pointed a wavemaker at 180° to the surface, so flow is hitting the base of the rock and them welling up to the feeding spot, seems to be loving it. Will try to get a pic up, real tricky in the dark tho!
OP
OP
Cool... if you've managed to find a FS easy to care for, readily available and pretty, I'd be getting on the supplier list at L.A., I reckon there's a good profit to be made, one of those animals a lot of people would like but are scared off by the difficulty level.
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
hey, my local LFS has a small red in i bought blizzard-O and 50 micron golden pearls, do you think i should get it?
OP
OP
No!! My purchase was not considered and it is far from a success! All I've managed to do is to not kill it in the few weeks I've had it. These animals are far better off in the ocean and by buying them were contributing to their collection and (I'm guessing) a 99.9% captive failure rate. Whatever I do, this FS will not live out it's natural lifespan, that I can guarantee!
I know that is hugely hypocritical of me, but I have to be honest. As I stated right at the top, I should never have bought it!
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
it’s about $15 so it’s not that much money, it’d have a better chance in my azoox tank than any other persons tank so i think i’ll give it a try.
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