Hitch-hiker on live rock, what is it?!?!?

In the center of the photo there is a small white worm looking thing with a cluster of bright Red feathers popping out the top. I have serval that hitch-hiked on the rock, just wondering what these little creatures are. I do have a full grown Feather Duster Worm that came on a rock. My tank just started cycling (5 days) but all the rock is from my LFS friend who tore down his tank.
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This is my 'grown' Feather Duster, his feathers measure about 3" across. Could he be populating the tank? I thought they grew in colonies? He looks more brownish purple in real life.
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I did have another question regarding my big Feather Duster, his tube goes through the rock and comes out the other side on the right. When setting my tank up and I didn't realize that i didn't put him in the sand and I'm concerned that once I start adding cleaner crew and inverts they might find him easy pray. Should I flip him so he is protected?
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bang guy

Moderator
First off, Hawaiian Feather Dusters have a terrible success rate for the typical hobbyist. Their best chance of success is to leave them alone to find their best location. Typically, they are located in the sand bed facing the current. If yours likes the rocks I wouldn't argue with it.
 
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Thank you, he came with my rock so I'm really just hoping he'll survive the cycle. He seems to be doing fine and stays open most of the day and closes every once in a while. I do like him and would like to give him the best chance for survival if possible.
 
I'm not going to try and remove him from the rock but simply flip the rock so his tube is in the sand. The way he is worked into the rock if I did flip it he would not get crushed or injured.
 

Bryce E

Active Member
Yes what Bang guy said... Totally different one and not your big one populating the tank. Notice that the tube on the little one is a hard calcareous tube while the tube on the large one is soft. Several kinds of feather dusters can reproduce sexually and asexually in your aquarium though. The most common are usually small and you'll see little calcareous tubes forming on your rocks, glass, pumps etc.

Your rock looks very nice by the way. It's always a bonus to be able to start out with aged rock like that.
 
Thank you! I was super happy to find this rock at my LFS and it came with a lot of little hitch-hikers and I'm j at trying to figure out what some of them are. Thank you all for your time and help :D
 

pegasus

Well-Known Member
I've had three Hawaiian feather dusters for over 2 years. The largest one died a couple of weeks ago, so now I'm down to two. I've moved them on occasion since they were located in a deep sand bed. As long as they aren't attached to anything, you can safely move them as long as you are very gentle and very careful not to crush the tube as this will kill the worm inside. I usually dig out a trough, lay the base of the tube in it, then cover it. These dusters occasionally cast their radioles (feathery crown), so if you don't see it for a week or two, DO NOT throw it away. After a week or so, you should start to see short strands of it's new radiole starting to protrude from the tube. They're filter feeders, so it's a good idea to feed them once in awhile. I feed mine once every week or two with a blend of Marine Snow and Phytoplex. I use a turkey baster to spot feed them, and I have to dust them lightly. If the stream is too hard, they'll retract into the tube and the food will float away.

I would move them if I wasn't happy with their location, but that's just me. If you're okay with it stuck in a rock, then you should leave them there. I just wanted to let you know that as long as you aren't too rough with them, they can be relocated. If you attempt it, don't be surprised if it opens up while you're moving it. I think they just want to see what's going on... lol!
 
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