Something is eating my feather duster!

[fishfatty]

Please help... my feather duster is being eaten....cant figure out why! All i have is 2 clowns, 1 yellow tang, purple pseudochromis. INverts: peppermint shrimp, fire shrimp cucumber, 3 emerald crabs, 30 hermits (blue and red leg) 28 snails (26 narsarrius, 2 margarita) What could it be?? Thanks!

 

[hot883]

How do you know it is being eaten?

 

[reckler]

thats funny that you post this on feather dusters, because I was about to post one on "why is my tang eating my feather duster"
All I can say is keep a close eye on your tang. I have noticed that once I feed him, he stops chewing on them.

 

[fishieness]

if they are being eaten, i would guess either the fire or the peps. or possibly even the tang
HOWEVER, how can you be sure they are actualy being eaten? are they the large variety or the small hitchickers? it is very very possible that they are just starving form not dosing phytoplankton and having too low nutrients.

 

[alyssia]

My pepp shrimp ate all the little dusters off my rocks, but I have never had them eat my large dusters.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by reckler
thats funny that you post this on feather dusters, because I was about to post one on "why is my tang eating my feather duster"
All I can say is keep a close eye on your tang. I have noticed that once I feed him, he stops chewing on them.

My tang nips the algae off my duster but doesn't eat it.

 

[reckler]

Mine lost about a 1/2 inch already today from my tang, he only eats the new part of the tube.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by reckler
Mine lost about a 1/2 inch already today from my tang, he only eats the new part of the tube.

:scared: Sorry to hear that! What are you feeding the tang?

 

[reckler]

I feed new life spectrum,seaweed,mysis,and flake. everything I put in the tank he eats. I have been over feeding the fish so everyone else can get some food too. I have gone through a package of seaweed in less than a month already. If I don't feed him, he will start picking on all the other fish and especially the feather dusters.

 

[fishfatty]

thanks for all the replys....i dont dose phytoplankton, should i be?

 

[fishieness]

Originally Posted by FishFatty
thanks for all the replys....i dont dose phytoplankton, should i be?
well are these the large feather dusters or the small ones like penny sized that come on as hitchickers? they obviously dont require as much food....
feather dusters are filter feeders that feed on phytoplankton and other organics. if you do not have high enough nutrients, or these are the large varieties, then the feather dusters can easily starve to death. so depending on your nutrient levels, you should be dosing phyto.

 

[fishfatty]

im talking about the big ones...dont know if its nutrients, b/c i have lots of algae