Feather dusters come in red???

[sueandherzoo]

I just found this growing on the underside of a rock. The topside has a zoa frag on it and I guess a crab must have knocked it over because I found the zoa laying face down in the sand and then noticed this bright red thing on the underside. Now I'm not sure which side I want up - is this a red feather duster????????

 

[cranberry]

Yup they do come in red.

 

[sueandherzoo]

Wow - how awesome, and what a great way to get some more color in the tank! Guess there's no way of encouraging it to go forth and multiply, huh?
I may have to find a place to put that rock frag so the zoas can survive while still giving the feather duster a chance to live and grow.
Is there a place to purchase red ones? I've never seen them offered but that would be perfect for those places in the tank that need a spot of red.
Sue

 

[runn3rb3an]

I think my lfs calls the coaco worms or something like that. there more expensive than regular ones

 

[sueandherzoo]

Thanks! I'll do a search for that.
Sue

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by runn3rb3an
http:///forum/post/2939151
I think my lfs calls the coaco worms or something like that. there more expensive than regular ones
No; this is not a coco worm - which is indeed far more expensive than a regular feather duster. This is a species of miniture feather dusters. It will not get much bigger if any, and it probably will not multiply as fast as the white miniture ones. But it is an excellent hitchhiter

good find. PerfectDark did an I.D. on these in a thread somewhere, but I'll be darned if I can remember the name of the thread, or the forum it was in

. Somebody else might remember.

 

[runn3rb3an]

oh sorrry about the wrong id. how do you tell the difference between them anyway?

 

[sueandherzoo]

Amazing -- sometimes when you aren't looking is when you find the greatest treasures in these tanks of ours. I was at first angry that some clutzy crab knocked over my frag with zoas on it, and low and behold, I would have never noticed this bright red cutey had it not gotten knocked over. There's usually a positive buried in most negatives if we look hard enough.
Sue

 

[renogaw]

i've got an almost purple / blue mini feather duster that came as a hitcher
puppy center had neon green feather dusters and pink ones

 

[fallout]

So far all of my hitchhikers have been bad

 

[sueandherzoo]

Originally Posted by renogaw
http:///forum/post/2939795
i've got an almost purple / blue mini feather duster that came as a hitcher
puppy center had neon green feather dusters and pink ones
Recently?!?!?!? I was there for the CTARS gathering last Sunday and didn't see any, but then again with the crowd of people there it was hard to see everything. What a great turnout, huh?
I'd love to get my hands on some colorful feather dusters - I imagine you pay big bucks for those though, right?
Sue

 

[renogaw]

i wasn't able to make the ctars event, my wallet has been magically closed by my wife...
i saw the green ones a few weeks ago for about $25, and the pink ones were around $18, standard brown ones were i think $14

 

[florida joe]

The Hard Tube Coco Worm, also known as the Hard Tube Feather Duster, Protula Tubeworm, or Hard Tubeworm, has a crown that can be white, yellow, orange, pink, or red. The radioles may be banded or patterned. Younger Hard Tube Coco Worms have bi-lobed crowns, while the crowns of older individuals are spiraled.
The Hard Tube Coco Worm secretes a calcareous tube, approximately 1/2 inch in diameter and 5-8 inches long, to house its vulnerable worm body. When disturbed, it can quickly retract its crown and close its operculum to shut the top of its tube. It usually anchors its tube in a crevice of the rocky reef or in the gravel along current-swept reef slopes. It uses the radioles to filter out floating plankton.
it look a lot like a coco to me

 

[shyfish]

Hi,
I think it is indeed a hard tube coco worm. I have two, which I paid big time for. My reg. feather dusyers ran about $18.00 but the coco worms cost me between $60.00 - $70.00 They are much smaller than the big reg feather dusters. Their tubes get big but the feather part is much smaller. The tube is hard and reg feather dusters have a kind of soft tube.
Mine are red and white w/ spirals one is 12 inches and the other around 6, oddly the 6 inch one has a larger feather.

 

[subielover]

Here is my red and white FD...

 

[florida joe]

But then again it could be
This would be a great find
The Fountain Feather Duster is the rarest of the beautiful feather dusters. They have beautiful red and yellow large fan-shaped crowns, (radiole's). The Feather Duster uses the radiole to filter out small floating organisms, which it directs toward its mouth, located at the center of the crown. It protects its segmented body by secreting a parchment-like tube to cover itself. When it is disturbed, it can quickly pull in its radiole into the tube. If it is severely stressed, it will discard its crown, growing it back later. The Feather Duster is usually found in the coral rubble at the base of the reef aquarium, with some of the rubble being incorporated into its parchment-like tube.. Size: 5" to 6"
Or this
Bali provides us with the beautiful, easy to keep, Red/Pink Feather Dusters. Like it's larger Hawaiian cousin, it protects its segmented body by secreting a parchment-like tube to cover itself. When it is disturbed, it can quickly pull in its radiole into the tube. If it is severely stressed, it will discard its crown, growing it back later. The Red/Pink Feather Duster is usually found in the coral rubble of the reef, with some of the rubble being incorporated into its parchment-like tube. Size: 2" to 4"

 

[sueandherzoo]

One can only hope! I'll make a mental note to myself never to put a peppermint shrimp in there - I've seen them kill feather dusters with a vengeance!
Sue