Feather Sea Star - Himerometra species - Crinoid Feather Sea Star

Taxonomy: Feather Sea Star belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea, Order Comatulida, Family Himerometridae and Genus Himerometra.

Scientific names: The scientific name of Feather Sea Star is Himerometra species.

Other common names: Feather Sea Star is also commonly known as Feather Star, Crinoid Feather Sea Star, Feather Starfish and Crinoid.

Origin or natural range: The Himerometra species originates from the Indo-Pacific region.

Size: Feather Sea Star may grow up to a size of around fourteen inches.

Color: The Himerometra species occurs in Brown, Tan, Red, Green, Black and Yellow colors.

Aggression: Feather Sea Star is non-aggressive towards the marine aquarium invertebrates.

Compatibility: The Himerometra species is reef compatible.

Venom status: Feather Sea Star is non-poisonous in nature.

Habit & Habitat:

• The Himerometra species is Nocturnal in nature and therefore, hides beneath sponges, corals, rocks and/or rock caves or any other shady region during the day time, while being active at night.
• Crinoid Shrimp, Crinoid Clingfish and Squat Lobsters take refuge in the arms of Feather Sea Star and also eat the left over food of the sea star.
• When stressed up, the Himerometra species may shed its arms and cirri and later on regenerates them.

Morphology: Feather Sea Star has five arms, also called Pinnules. The number of arms can increase to up to around forty with the age of the sea star. Each arm of the Himerometra species has numerous Pinnulesi. The Feather Sea Star with a lot of arms looks quite feathery and therefore the common name. The arms of the Himerometra species are covered with a sticky substance which helps filter food particles from the water current.

Growth enabling environment in your marine aquarium: Aquarium habit & habitat:

• Tank type: To host Feather Sea Star, you can have either a Reef Type Marine Aquarium or a Fish Only Marine Aquarium.
• Aquarium set-up: Keep rocks, rock caves, coral rubble and sand or gravel in your marine tank.
• Water flow in the aquarium: Feather Sea Star requires moderately strong water current in the marine aquarium it inhabits.
• Temperature of water: Seventy-two to seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
• Specific gravity of water: 1.023 to 1.025.
• pH of water: 8.10 to 8.40.
• Acclimation: Slowly acclimate the Himerometra species to your marine aquarium environment using the Slow Drip Acclimation Method. The slow acclimation process takes a minimum time period of two hours.
• Aquarium activity: Feather Sea Star has a tendency to shed its arms and cirri, when disturbed. In its natural habitat, the sea star regenerates its lost parts later on while; it is less probable to do so in captivity.

Feeding & Nutrition:

• Diet: Feather Sea Star is Planktivorous in feeding habit.
• Food content: The Himerometra species eats zooplankton and phytoplankton,
• Supplements: Supplement the diet of Feather Sea Star in your marine aquarium with liquefied plankton food, a few times per week.
• Breeding: The Himerometra species does not generally breed in its marine aquarium.

Care:

• The Himerometra species is difficult to maintain.
• Sudden fluctuations in the pH and the temperature of your marine aquarium’s environment may prove lethal for Feather Sea Star.
• Copper and Nitrates in any form in your marine aquarium may be harmful for the health of the Himerometra species.
• Due to its specific feeding requirement of a lot of plankton, it may be difficult to host it in a Reef Type Marine Aquarium.
• Keep the water quality high by regularly changing the water of your marine aquarium and installing an efficient protein skimmer. High quality water is essential for the sound health of Feather Sea Star.

Aquarist’s level: Only expert aquarists should handle and maintain Feather Sea Star.

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