New Feather Duster

[sbrawley]

I just purchased a feather duster from the LFS, and I am just wondering if I should place it in my rock, sandbed, or does it really matter?

 

[1guydude]

hardtube or softube??? dosent really matter much..if its scitish place in a crack between rocks but mine sits in the sand. I had to bury it. A good sign of it being healthy is it pooping lol

 

[sbrawley]

its a soft tube. I placed it in the sand, and it migrated underneath one of my rocks. I didn't think they could move.

 

[meowzer]

YUP they can.....I have been lucky with 2..One in the 54G placed in rocks, and one in the 28cube placed in rocks
Every feather duster I have ever put in my 225G has somehow wiggled out of its spot and disappeared....I GAVE UP....I now have a coco worm in it though...that seems to be doing fine
Apparently if they are happy, featherdusters will "attach" to the rock...or sand.....if not.....they wander

 

[sbrawley]

How do you feed it? LFS said to squirt a little in front of it, but the food says to add it to the aquarium where there is high water flow. If I add it to the aquarium, won't the filter intake suck it up?

 

[1guydude]

They are filter feeders....they sold me some of that stuff as well. It isnt needed as the food ur feeding ur fish and their poop is feeding the feather. Dont add that stuff! I used mine like twice and since i asked a member about it, i havent used it! Hopefully someone will chime in with more info about this!~

 

[flower]

Fish poop...really??
Squirt some Kent’s microvert in the tank once a week...just a little, what feeds filter feeders feeds algae too. You don't need to squirt it right on it or anything, just in the water. They need a gentle flow not high water flow. Feather crown should gently sway in the current.

I really hate to be a nag but….

In the future, NEVER purchase a single critter until you have done your homework. You avoided disaster this time but who knows what you might bring home next. Impulse buying could be very harmful for the rest of the critters in your tank. Before you bring home anything, you should already know how to feed it, where it likes to live, sand or rocks and most important how big will get and what does it get along with.

When it comes to saltwater critters, some things can actually poison the tank if it feels threatened by other tank mates, some critters are so dang mean it could kill every fish in the tank. Some critters need special lighting, like an anemone, some need special diets, like live food only or copepods by the thousands a day. Some tiny little fish may grow up to be huge.

 

[1guydude]

im just sayin wat btl said...fish poop contains nutrients (no matter how little) just as does anything else. Btl dosent like my flake food of the micro kent stuff! Idk thats just wat i was told! My feather duster is actually really healthy and i havent given it any kent stuff in like a month or two!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/385223/new-feather-duster#post_3378271
im just sayin wat btl said...fish poop contains nutrients (no matter how little) just as does anything else. Btl dosent like my flake food of the micro kent stuff! Idk thats just wat i was told! My feather duster is actually really healthy and i havent given it any kent stuff in like a month or two!

That's why I added the question marks...I never heard that, it didn't mean it wasn't so...
I like Kent's brand, I also use other foods besides and change up...I would never put flakes in my SW fish tank or pellets. If your duster was in need of food and not getting enough it would shed it's crown and re-grow a smaller one. So if your duster is happy, don't worry about it.

 

[1guydude]

Quote:
If your duster was in need of food and not getting enough it would shed it's crown and re-grow a smaller one
+1

 

[btldreef]

Yup, fish poop can be some of the best food for filter feeders and corals. Ultimately it depends on what you're feeding your fish, how often and how many fish there are. Keep in mind that many fish foods contain food for filter feeders as well. Ultimately, you just have to observe and monitor each specimen, but usually that bottled cr@p (because that's what unrefrigerated and even some refrigerated food is) is useless and polluting your tank. If your going to feed food for filter feeders, use Reef Nutrition Oyster Feast or cyclop-eze.