 Shorter cilia on the inner sides of the tentacles flick food particles into a groove in a circle under and just inside the tentacles, and cilia in the groove push the particles into the mouth.Phoronids direct their lophophores into the water current, and quickly reorient to maximize the food-catching area when currents change.Their diet includes algae, diatoms, flagellates, peridinians, small invertebrate larvae, and detritus.