If you're serious about doing this then fair play. I was reckless in buying my crinoid and should have known better!
If I was setting up a tank specifically for them, I'd start by checking out successful non photosynthetic coral reefs... those guys seem to have the most luck with crinoids. Even then, the red feather star (Himerometra robustipinna) is considered almost impossible, so avoid what I did and get an easier species!
I would suggest some kind of surge flow is important as is a close to constant supply of food. An auto feeder would be good for this. I'd suggest also keeping other species who readily breed in captivity with the crinoid... my suspicion is that a lot of the natural food is made up of various larvae... so some damsels, clowns or cardinals would be good, the larvae will become food. I'd also look at inverts who will broadcast spawn - tuxedo urchins as an example.
A fuge I think is a MUST. With little or no mechanical filtration and preferably no skimmer. The tank needs to be able to sustain as much microscopic food as possible. I'd even look at turning the normal set up on its head and have a fuge which is 2 or 3 times the volume of the DT, let it get as filthy as possible basically!
I believe one of the biggest issues, aside from feeding is their apparent intolerance of nitrates... given the type of set up you need, managing nitrates could be a challenge. Consider regular, daily even, small water changes and managing nitrates through the fuge and perhaps carbon dosing. An auto WC system would be ideal.
I have no idea if it makes any difference, but using NSW rather than synthetic water seems a sensible approach. It will bring zooplankton with it.
I would also dose phyto daily, something I will be doing when my phyto order comes in. This will help to sustain any zooplankton you can get and may be food in its own right.
Obviously everything you spend on the extras and food, you'll save in not buying £$£$£$ of lights lol.
I agree with the idea that we can ultimately find ways of keeping these animals alive, but please go into this with eyes open, not like me, prepare to put everything you have into this project.
Be very selective of the crinoid you choose, ignore anything which isn't showing feeding behaviour at the LFS, check how it's been transported and acclimated, ignore anything which has been out of the water or handled directly by humans. Insist that it is picked up with a plastic bag and bagged submerged with the biggest bag and most amount of water they can manage. They are very delicate and I believe a lot die due to incorrect handling. My research has suggested that, for whatever reason, human contact really isn't good for these animals.
A minimum of 4 hours drip acclamation is recommended and ensure that ALL water params are as close to the LFS as possible.
Lastly, do not treat with any medication. I would even suggest that the free swimming stages of parasites like ich may be included in their diet... certainly other reef filter feeders have been found in the wild with fish parasites in their guts.
Good luck and keep us updated!
