Coco Worm or Feather Duster

[Tennyson]

I plan to get a hawaiin feather duster, but I'm seeing all these beautiful Coco worms which seem so much better and much more attractive. How much are they generally? I wouldn't pay over $35 for one.

And how long do they live for? Hard or easy to take care of? I think I remember reading somewhere that they need more food and extra care than hawaiin feather dusters, but is this true? Could a sort-of begginer take care of these and have them live long?

Thanks.

 

[Tayler]

im not sure how much they cost i doubt it would be more than 35 dollars. they need to be fed live phyto plankton. ive heard that they only live up to two years in captivity and are difficult to care for. so i would'nt recommend them for beginners.

 

[lowincwrx]

I bought one 2 months after starting my tank i know it was probably kind of early but it has been doing well for the past 2 months.

as far as care i just feed phytoplankton into the water once a week and i find it doesn't like alot of flow.

i paid 35 for mine but a have seen lfs carry them from 60-80

i love my coco and everyone that visits my house likes it too (until i tell them its a worm and not a flower)

 

[Tennyson]

I would buy them, but my lfs's sell them for atleast $60, so I'll just forget about it and get normal feather dusters. Thanks though, do feather dusters need any intentional feeding?

 

[bencozzy]

feather dusters appreciate phytoplankton every once in a while

 

[Tennyson]

I went to the best lfs in town, and none of the feather dusters looked good at all, they were all brown, and none of their colors looked good except for the coco worms.

are there any other types of feather dusters besides christmas tree worms and coco worms that have nicer colors? I think I have heard of a different type thats similar, but smaller and has nicer colors, not sure though.

 

[bencozzy]

Bispira spp.

blue zoo aquatics has the yellow/green and white purple ones. just got 3 of both for my tank last week and they are doing great and look nice.

 

[flyyyguy]

I dont know what this is, but it surely has a cooler shape than the typical hawaiian. anybody know what kind it is?? my lfs had a couple of them and they were only $5 more than the hawaiians

 

[chrisstie]

Thats gorgeous! and your powder blue is.. vibrant what a great picture!


Tennyson- if it is any consolation about the koko worms, many I believe are imported from around the Hawaii area (I could be wrong) and their wholesale price is really high. Generally this is true of an animal that isn't exactly rare, but not common either.

I invested about $60 into my koko worm but its the fantastic gold and orange colored one (there are some pretty sweet white and red but I really like this color scheme better) and have had it for roughly 5 to 6 months so far. I also took a purple and gold feather duster home before that and it has also been doing well.

I think if you're worried about the budget and you'd be just as happy with either, then go ahead and go for the cheaper one, but if you like one way better than the other then I would recommend saving to buy the other if you can justify the cost because they are really quite beautiful and rewarding animals.

I feed mine a product called coral vibrance and it curls up to eat whenever I add phyto or any other small food, even mysis (I think it picks up on the tiniest particles from me breaking the shrimp up in the water) That, or it curls up to feed when it smells something good anyhow.

I am in the process of getting some zoo frags to grow on the koko worms calcerous tube. it hink they'd look great if I could keep them away from the opening.

 

[Steveabg]

I have that exact purple/yellow worm, and I've wondered about it, as well. The shape of the feathers is more like a coco worm, but the tube isn't rock hard, it's more like a feather dusters.

Either way, they're beautiful.

 

[Tennyson]

I'm starting to remeber now, I think I have actually seen the exact feather duster as yours flyguy, at my lfs. Though I can't remeber, it was called the purple and gold feather duster (obviously this isn't any scientific name or anything, just what they called it) and I don't think it was a coco worm because they called it a feather duster. I think I might try and get one if I see it there again, I'm sure it wasn't over $55 dollars though.

I'm starting to become more fond of the idea of getting a coco worm now, I was googling images of them, and they just look so beautiful. I'll have to save up ALOT of allowence though, or I could ask for it for my birthday. Anyway, if I do get one, would Kent Phytoplex be a good food to feed every week or so? Or baby brine shrimp?

Thanks for motivating me more Chrisstie! I think it was the info in my book that made them seem impossible to keep, that + the price, so I just forgot about it, but I'll look into other prices at other lfs's. thanks!

 

[flyyyguy]

ya, its definitely not a coco worm. the tube and worm is no different than your average hawaiian feather duster as far as the worm and tube goes

 

[Steveabg]

$55? Wow. Mine was $16. Sure, we're pretty spoiled in Southern California, but four times as much there?

 

[Tennyson]

well its around $50-90 at one lfs, $50's just the lowest but thats the most expensive lfs. Other lfs goes for around $60-70. These are the only stores out of my 6 local ones that get them regularly. Oh well, guess I have to keep looking.

 

[Pierce]

coco worm

coco worm

2 questions.....

How often should you feed coco worms? once, twice, weekly?

Also, Ive got two, one is in a little more current than the other. Meaning the feathers move a little more. Its not in direct flow at all. The one in slower current is huge in comparison to the one in higher current . Being filter feeders, shouldnt this be just the oposite?
Had them only 2 weeks so maybe one was just in better shape when I got them.

 

[Tennyson]

Hey flyyguy, just went to the lfs, and it has the exact same feather duster as yours I think, except the tube of theirs seems weird because it was tied up at the end or something, but it looks the same. But I think the lfs's might have a brighter yellow than yours. And only $25! I would have bought one, but there were only two cheezy ones, so I'll just have to wait.