Order Hydrocorallina: These are colonial polypoid hydrozoans that secrete calcium carbonate skeletons, though they are not true corals... The Order comprises two suborders, the Milleporina and

Suborder Stylasterina: Characterized by having a thick layer of tissue overlying their skeletons. Their specialized feeding and defensive polyps are imbedded within star-shaped openings in their calcareous skeletons.

Aquarium Husbandry: Not hard to keep IF procured in originally healthy condition, and kept under "ideal" cured reef conditions... Sometimes deteriorates.... make that almost all the time.

An excerpt from a conversation on FaceBook re Stylaster captive husbandry:

• Matthew Pedersen So say someone was really intent on giving this a go..how would you propose one actually accomplish it Bob?

  Like · Reply · 15 hrs
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    Dawn Moneyhan Break down the science of it. The needs are very clean water with proper flow rate and heavy near constant food supply. How can you create that environment? Then accommodate the proper lighting. It's not impossible, it's just not easy or cheap.

    Like · 1 · 12 hrs
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    Dawn Moneyhan I had a 120 setup yrs ago, sump system, chiller, refugium, skimmer, weekly water changes and daily maintenance. Home built lighting system accommodated anything I wanted, rock was shelved to help create shaded areas, this was my and my husband's "spe...See More

    Like · 1 · 12 hrs
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    Bob Fenner Wow! Well-stated Dawn. Matt; I wish I could remember if it was the Waikiki Aq when Charles Delbeekwas there, some time later when he had moved to the CAS, or maybe the folks at SIO who had been "successful" with culture/husbandry of some of the touchi...See More

    Like · 2 · 4 hrs
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    Dawn Moneyhan Thanks Bob. smile emoticon
    The hardest part is trying to keep enough food always circulating in the tank without polluting the water. First advice, live foods rather than prepared foods that will break down quickly and pollute the tank. Research about zooplankton & phytoplankton species, look at what the plankton feed on, grow/put food sources in place for the food. Give thought to how the environment works (wild environment), the food chain. If you can learn and really understand it, you should be able to create a system to replicate it small scale within your tank. The hardest part of creating the environment is the time it takes to culture enough of a food supply before adding the animal you need to feed. A lot of people try to put these animals into brand new or "over clean" tanks and don't understand why they starve. (yes, there is such a thing as too clean) This is not the kind of thing to buy on impulse.

    Like · 16 mins
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    Bob Fenner Mmm; would you mind if I copied/pasted the above to the Stylaster sect. of WWM Dawn?

    Like · 1 · 10 mins
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    Dawn Moneyhan Not at all, I just ask that I receive credit for anything I've written. I have been wanting to do some writing for WWM for a long time but I just never seem to find enough time to sit down and do the writing, lol. One of these days... smile emoticon

    Like · 3 mins
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    Bob Fenner Ahh; thank you and.... any time!

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