Question about feather dusters

[koensayr]

Hi all,

I bought 2 dwarf feather dusters yesterday. I noticed that one duster seems to be a lot more shy than the other one.

The one that is less shy is out almost all the time (it actually was out while in the bag before i got it into the tank). The other duster, however, only comes out very rarely. I see it out maybe a few times a day, and it would only stay out for about half a minute.

Now, is it perhaps due to the duster not liking where it is positioned? Or are some dusters just take a while to adjust to the new environment? How long should I wait if this continues, before I move it to a different location?

Thank!

 

[Zalman]

If they are anything like the hitch hikers I had on my LR I think they will just take time to adjust. When I first set up my tank they would all hide when someone walked into the room or near the tank. Now I can work inside of the tank and they dont hide.

 

[SkullV]

The answer is send them to me so I can feed them to my Copperband Butterfly...but seriously, as long as they don't drop their crown (feathers) they will adjust and be just fine. Keep in mind they prefer low flow low light areas.

 

[Lorenz725]

Just make sure you dont have them right in flow and right under a light and they will do fine. I have had mine for a few years now and one is out a lot and one is not out as much.

 

[koensayr]

Thanks guys, it seems to be getting more used to the environment and stay out longer today than yesterday. However, I don't really have any good low light area to place them and they are currently not in any kind of shade. They don't seems to be bothered by the light so far.

Will this cause a problem in the long run?

 

[StephLionfish]

...but seriously, as long as they don't drop their crown (feathers) they will adjust and be just fine.

Mine did that....and regrew it!


OP, make sure nothing is bothering it....causing it to close.

 

[philipph]

All care sheets available on the internet suggest medium flow for this worm.How can I be sure that the flow is not to much or too little for it?Also do I bury part of the tube in the sand or let the worm settle on its own?

 

[mndfreeze]

I just pick that still would get some nem tentacle movement for example, but not enough to rip them off, and bury it most of the way in the sand. My tiger pistol loves to bury things on my bed but the worms will grow tubes longer just fine.

 

[philipph]

Do you have any links for information on these worms?i couldn't find anything decent

 

[mndfreeze]

Heavy flow won't hurt the worm, it just might not come out as often. it WILL build its tube to its liking in the direction IT wants, trust me. Don't worry too much about placement other then to make sure its tube is protected from things that might pick at it. I usually put mine in the sand most of the way, but also have one up in the rocks as well. All have since built their tubes longer and turned them the directions they wanted them.

 

[koensayr]

Well, 2 weeks later, the feather dusters are doing ok.

However, at one point, I was gone for a couple of days and the evaporation had changed the flow in the tank (flow is from a HOB filter). And I think they did not like the flow. Both had abandoned part or all of the old tube and moved toward the other end of the old tube.

So now, one is behind all my rocks, and the other one is kind of blocked by my clam

And they both seem to be pretty well attached to something now so I'm afraid to move them. I guess at least they are happy where they are... just hard for me to see now.

 

[mndfreeze]

Yeah don't try to rip them off now that they attached. They will most likely move around a bit more as your tank dynamics change if they don't like something.

Be wary of too much evap. That has been my biggest nano tank killer ever. Quick salinity changes.