mini duster problems -help please-

[rpick]

water tests:
amonia 0
ph 8.2
salinity 1.025
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
phosphate .1
carbonate 7/2.51
calcium 450
my mini featherdusters aren't looking well. the radioles are out but closed. some seem to be losing their orange color. I've been doing 1 gal water changes about every day.
any help out there?

 

[reefnut]

Dusters are filter feeders feeding on particles in the water column. They may not be getting enough food?? What do you feed your fish/tank??

 

[rpick]

i put in a half teaspoon of Kent 'phytoplex' for a 29 gal tank. cleaning crew came in last tuesday, put the phytoplex in on wednesday and again on sunday when i noticed they were having problems.

 

[rpick]

have some more info that may help.
the tank has been at 80.5 degrees on the average for the past several days. the temp seems to have gone down a little since.
anyone have ideas? suggestions?

 

[rpick]

well, it's been about 4 weeks since i got my order and my duster clustersare dead(?). i was feeding them 'kent phytoplankton' 2x a week. i did see some tiny ones growing out of the clump, but someone in the tank dragged it and buried the ones that started to grow. i'm leaving it in in case more tiny ones grow.
water parameters have not changed since reported results.
want to buy another but not sure where i went wrong. :needhelp: :needhelp: :needhelp:

 

[rpick]

i resurrected this thread because i have some new for those that may have the same problem.
don't give up.
when i first got my cluster, it started to deteriorate and they died. last week i noticed that i have a duster growing in an open cave. there is one growing but i think i'll probably get more as it grows. the ones that i bought were orange / pink, but i think this one is white or light pink. i can't see hecolor too clearly now but it is definitely the begining of another cluster.
i don't know if it is a new hitch hiker or if survivors of the cluster are now growing again. i did see when it was deteriorating, some very small ones were out of the mud tube they built and were moving with the current.
so, either i have a new hitchhiker or the original cluster had survivors and they (or at least one) are now thriving.