Compared to corals and some other animals kept by aquarists, crinoids have a relatively high metabolic rate. Most of this metabolic energy is spent in maintaining an acceptable internal ionic balance in their water-vascular system, and their energy needs in this regard can be substantial. Crinoids are not able to cope with low salinity conditions, and must be kept in aquaria where the specific gravity is no lower than 1.025, and preferably about 1.026. If they are kept in lower salinity water, they will be unable to get enough energy, even if well-fed, to regulate their internal ionic balance, and they will die. Maintaining crinoids in captivity should be fairly easy once the problem of finding an acceptable food source is solved, and in fact breeding them in captivity should also be relatively straight-forward.
Crinoids produce non-feeding larvae.
After a short planktonic existence, these larvae metamorphose into miniature sea lilies. After a brief period of growth, the stalk breaks off, and the small comatulids take up life as almost microscopic versions of the adults, and they eat the same foods as adults. Given the appropriate foods, there is really no reason why the complete life cycle could not occur in a hobbyist system. There are a wide variety of crinoids that might live in reef aquaria, but the choice of the appropriate ones will have to be done with some knowledge of the animal's normal life style. Activity periods of these animals are variable.