Crinoid

Care Summary

Crinoids, or feather stars, are ancient living fossils that look like ornate underwater ferns, and the yellow and black Oxycomanthus bennetti is one of the most spectacular invertebrates you can keep in a mature reef system. Place it in a high-flow area where it can spread its feathery arms into the current to trap passing plankton, and it will anchor itself using small claw-like appendages called cirri. These animals are notoriously difficult to feed in captivity and often decline slowly from starvation, so only attempt this species if you can dose live or very fresh phytoplankton and zooplankton consistently. Feed daily with a broadcast of phytoplankton and small-particle zooplankton timed to when the animal is fully extended, and watch for arm retraction as an early warning sign of stress or poor nutrition.