feather duster, will it be ok?

[30-xtra high]

i have had an ich outbreak a week ago that took out 5 damsils and a cinnamon clown, i now have no fish. i have a 30 gallon extra high with 10 hermits and a coral banded shrimp, i'm getting snails whenever my lfs gets them in. i have 27lbs of lr and 20lbs of ls
my lfs just got in 5 new feather dusters for 5.99$, they looked pretty cool, i'm leaving my tank fishless for a month so the ich dies, but do feather dusters get ich? do you spot feed feather dusters? what do they eat? i plan on having a soft reef tank. my plans are a coral banded shrimp, 10 hermits, 10 snails, a bunch of soft corals, a lawnmower blenny and a pair of cardinals. will the feather duster be ok with those conditions?, how much lighting do they need? any info on them is greatly appreciated ~ Randy

 

[stephish]

Did you treat for the ich? if you did is there still chemical in the water or have you changed out?
I've been told dusters are filter feeders but I also but a liquid containing plankton in for them and they seem quite happy. I love love love dusters and just got a new one yesterday it's a little over 2" across and lavender and lemon yellow.

 

[julie853]

I have two feather duster and when I first got them I had one fish that came down with ich although my feather duster's never got it.that's not to say they don't I dont know if they do or don't but mine didnt get it.Mine are in a 80 gallon and are they only filter feeders I have other than one red sponge tree.I feed them everyday.One day I'll put in the tank PhytoPlan from my lfs just go by the directions and every otherday I give them DT's live marine Phytoplankton.(probaly dont need to feed everyday every other day would probaly be fine)I dont spot feed I just add it at the surface and kind of stir it around until it's well blended.As for light I'm not sure exactly but I have mine under two 65 watt 50/50 and two 65 watt atintic light.
Hope this helps.

 

[julie853]

I also have shrimp and blue legged crabs and they all live peacfully in the tank.My Maroon clown fish tryed to use the feather duster as a host until I got him his own anemone.Sure was a funny site but the feather duster didnt seem to mine.

 

[mattp098]

feather dusters don't need any particular lighting. They do not rely on the light for food, like corals. They are a worm with a feather "crown" that they use to filter feed. Buy an invertebrate supplement liquid for filter feeders. You can target feed them, but if you're not careful they will get scared and suck back into their protective tube (they can only feed while their feathers are out.) You can also just pour the recommended dosage of the liquid into the tank and the circulation of the water will get it to them. They are great for reef tanks... you might want to check on the banded shrimp, he might be a possibility to mess with the feather duster, but I don't think so. They are hardy in the aquarium as long as you acclimate them properly. My favorites are the hawaiian feather dusters because they are the biggest. Good luck!

... oh yeah, and feather dusters do not get ick. However, you cannot use certain ick medications with dusters and other invertebrates, especially those containing copper. Do a water change before you get your dusters.

 

[waiting]

I'm pretty sure featherdusters don't get ich, I think it's just fish. They don't require any special lighting conditions and I believe they like a medium/low water flow. [Anyone, please correct me if I'm wrong]. I do know that they are filter feeders, I feed mine Kent Marine Micro-vert and Kent Marine Phytoplex And they should be fine with your fish/invert choices.

 

[mattp098]

Originally Posted by Waiting
I'm pretty sure featherdusters don't get ich, I think it's just fish. They don't require any special lighting conditions and I believe they like a medium/low water flow. [Anyone, please correct me if I'm wrong]. I do know that they are filter feeders, I feed mine Kent Marine Micro-vert and Kent Marine Phytoplex And they should be fine with your fish/invert choices.
I used Kent Micro-vert with my feather dusters also.

 

[30-xtra high]

i didn't put medication in the tank, i took the fish and put them in the qt for medicating. i didn't wunna kill my inverts and lr. from the responses i got, i'll probably be picking one up withing the next couple of days. the ones they are selling are called " warm feather dusters", anything particular about this kind? do featherdusters split?, or reproduce without needing another duster?, i've seen people talking about a duster losing it's "crown"? is that true?, do they lose their feathers?, then do you throw away the tube?, the crown?, will somthing grow back? will the dusters eat mysis?

 

[mattp098]

They are not like snails., From my understanding they reproduce like corals... males release sperm and females release eggs into water. I've had more than one duster at a time and never had this occur, so I don't know if reproduction in the aquarium is common/successful or not.
Yes, they can lose their crown... which sucks, but is not the end of the world. They can grow it back, but it takes a while. Do everything to prevent them from popping their crowns. They do it when stressed or threatened, (ex: fish or other animal pulling at the crown.) Also, they can lose their crown if the water quality isn't good. They are hardy though, as long as your water is good, you should be fine. If it loses its crown just take out the crown, it's essentially a dead piece of it and leave the worm in it's tube in the aquarium.
I hope I didn't make it sound confusing... they are really quite hardy and interesting, and if you already have some experience in saltwater you'll be fine.

 

[stephish]

Dusters reproduce a couple of different ways depending on the type. In some cases a bit of the worm seperates and goes elsewhere (they are considered segmented worms). I've been told by many that they're good for the tank and help with nitrates.

 

[30-xtra high]

lol... matt, i don't really have experience, only about 4 months worth, but i read books, threads, and magazines, and i'm always at my lfs talking to the saltwater people there. my water is always good, don't know why... but its always right on.
ph-8.2
amonia-0
trites-0
trates-0
salinity- .021
temp- 80
sound good?, can somebody answer my question about the mysis? will they eat it?, how can i make it stick to my lr?

 

[30-xtra high]

does anybody know?
will a feather duster eat mysis?
how can i make a feather duster stick to my liverock?
how much flow do dusters need?

 

[puffer32]

Dusters pull in any food that floats their way. No need to spot feed them if you feed corals or fish in the tank. Mine likes a decent flow, stays open all the time with moderate flow. They don't adhere to rocks, just wedge him in between 2 rocks to keep him stable. They do move if they are not happy where you place them. I have one who moved under a rock completely and it stays open with no light.

 

[30-xtra high]

if i lay his bottom/tail part on a rock, and set another rock on the tail part, so it pinches him in, will it kill/harm it?

 

[puffer32]

Well i wouldn't smash the end unless it tapers to a very small tube.

 

[30-xtra high]

alright, i got him!, how long before his feathers come back out?, right when the guy at my lfs grabbed him, his feathers retracted into the tube and now its just a tube with some dead skin looking stuff on the end. i acclimated him in, and i didn't have to wedge him in, because one of my pieces of liverock had a hole the perfect size for the tube to slide into.

 

[puffer32]

When was the last time his feathers came out? Are you sure he's in the tube? Some times they jump ship if they are unhappy?

 

[puffer32]

When was the last time his feathers came out? Are you sure he's in the tube? Some times they jump ship if they are unhappy? Did you feel him move inside the tube when you picked him up?

 

[julie853]

It took mine a few hours after I got them into the tank before they came out.

 

[30-xtra high]

woops!, i think i may have put him in upside down!, i put him in the right way now, hope he comes out, and the tube is jam packed, its not deflated or anything, so my guess is he's still in it.