Feather dusters
- Thread starter Mac1999
- Start date
seabassfinn
New member
Yes, technically they do "clean" the water, as they filter particles through it. No need to feed imo, they usually get what they need from the water column.
Reef Frog
New member
Are you talking about the tiny ones that come in as hitch hikers? Or the large ornamental ones you can buy at the LFS?
The ornamentals that the LFS plus coco worms are hard to keep IME despite a concerted effort on my part. They need to be target fed live phytoplankton & possibly zooplankton or they starve. They also can eat some detritus or marine snow if the particle size is appropriate. With that kind of feeding nutrient levels can build and usher in an algae bloom in a typical reef tank. Some who have claimed to have kept them alive for long periods say that blowing off your rocks with a turkey basted frequently can provide a meal.
The little volunteers that appear, often in huge numbers, in mature aquariums are hardy and their numbers will rise & fall depending on the amount of food in the water.
They all eat out of the water column. But unless present in huge quantities, they probably don't clean the water enough to make a difference in cases of high nutrient export requirements.
The ornamentals that the LFS plus coco worms are hard to keep IME despite a concerted effort on my part. They need to be target fed live phytoplankton & possibly zooplankton or they starve. They also can eat some detritus or marine snow if the particle size is appropriate. With that kind of feeding nutrient levels can build and usher in an algae bloom in a typical reef tank. Some who have claimed to have kept them alive for long periods say that blowing off your rocks with a turkey basted frequently can provide a meal.
The little volunteers that appear, often in huge numbers, in mature aquariums are hardy and their numbers will rise & fall depending on the amount of food in the water.
They all eat out of the water column. But unless present in huge quantities, they probably don't clean the water enough to make a difference in cases of high nutrient export requirements.
Reef Frog
New member
I've tried these many times. No love. Also keep in mind certain fish eat them.
Many books out there do indeed recommend them without much detail.
They may thrive & last a long time in a rich, "dirty" tank with Greek water & plenty of suspended food to eat. I don't know. I didn't have a tank like that. But they must be target fed on a typical low nutrient hard coral reef like mine. Each tank is different. To me, this should be an expert rated animal. Somebody who can maintain sea fans or NPS Gorginians for example could probably keep Hawaiins with no problems however.
Any non mobile invert that is non photosynthetic should never be in the "easy" or "beginner" category IMO. I've queried this community several times seeking accounts of long term success with Hawaiins & coco worms, and heard nothing but the sounds of silence....
SeattleReefer
New member
I tried spot feeding my Hawaiian feather dusters with Coral Frenzy but I got no feeding response. The two I have seem fine after 6 months in the tank with no special care at all.
Reef Frog
New member
Both ways are probably fine.
Squeezing the liquid gently next to the crown would probably allow it to capture the most particles in the least time. Don't get to close or the worm gets startled and will quickly retreat back into the tube. But then the pumps go back on and the food is zipping around the tank with the current. From there it could most likely capture some of the food, but probably a very small minority. Some gets eaten by other animals, some gets skimmed out, some sticks to rocks & sand.
FACTOID:
The organelles that capture the food are underneath the fronds of the crown, not on top, in most species.
If it retracts its crown excessively due to human reasons or barracks R by fish, this will depleted its energy reserves. This is double bad if you have marginal food available.
There is an excellent article in these animals in the advancedaquariast web site.
Reef Frog
New member
Feed them. They are unlikely to survive long term in a new tank so you must feed them. Read article mentioned. See post #14.
They need some flow. Moderate. Regular reef water conditions.
Hopefully a successful long term (years) owner will step out of the fog and can add some information.
They need some flow. Moderate. Regular reef water conditions.
Hopefully a successful long term (years) owner will step out of the fog and can add some information.
Reef Frog
New member
Roti? Rotifers? Maybe. Read the article. Phyto is key. Live is best. Blow the rocks. See if you get a feeding response.
LFS fish store are infamous for giving bad advice. When buying any animal, even a humble worm, you should not rely on any one persons advice unless they are an expert or have first hand knowledge. Even then, do other research. We owe it to the animals. At least skim the article. There is a lot to know.
LFS fish store are infamous for giving bad advice. When buying any animal, even a humble worm, you should not rely on any one persons advice unless they are an expert or have first hand knowledge. Even then, do other research. We owe it to the animals. At least skim the article. There is a lot to know.
Reef Frog
New member
Oh OK from Reef Nutrition. I like their products but haven't used that one. Do live phytoplankton too. An added bonus is it may boost your copepod population which MIGHT provide some natural food, eventually. You may want to give the company a call and see what they have to say. They actually do research and one employee post in RC occasionally.
Frequency? Not sure & there is probably no stock answer. Got to wing it and not over do it where you skunk a new tank. Turn off skimmer & filter floss/sock for a while to give it a chance of catching all the food it can. Try different flow rares if you can and mixing up day & night feeding. That's partly why this isn't an easy animal to keep.
Frequency? Not sure & there is probably no stock answer. Got to wing it and not over do it where you skunk a new tank. Turn off skimmer & filter floss/sock for a while to give it a chance of catching all the food it can. Try different flow rares if you can and mixing up day & night feeding. That's partly why this isn't an easy animal to keep.
