A detailed description of the techniques developed to culture large numbers of larvae and juveniles of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (L.) is presented. Culturing the starfish involves five stages: spawning of adults, egg fertilisation, larval culture, settlement and growout. We identified the factors during each of these stages that are important to the success of cultures. Spawning was artificially induced. The broodstock collected early in the summer spawning season produced the best larvae. The larvae were cultured in 450 l parabolic-based larval culture tanks with a single-point air source. Seawater was held at 28 °C and 32 ppt salinity. The larvae took about two weeks to reach settling competency during which time they were fed cultured phytoplankton (Dunaliella tertiolecta and Phaeodactylum tricornutum) at 5000–10000 cells ml−1. Advanced brachiolaria were offered thalli of the coralline alga Lithothamnion sp. to induce settlement and metamorphosis. Mortality during metamorphosis was high due to unknown factors. The metamorphosed juveniles were fed on diatoms and coralline algae, and maintained in 1000 l tanks containing coralline-algae-covered coral rubble. Photographs of the different larval stages are provided to aid in assigning the developing larvae to each of the appropriate stages. The techniques were also used to culture other species of asteroids and may be generally applicable to other echinoderms with planktotrophic larvae.