feather dusters

[Whiskey]

I just picked up 22 feather dusters from a LFS for $4.95 they are small but they will grow. I was told that they will multiply and that they don't need anything special to grow. This is from the LFS that I trust, not that other one. Is there anything I need to do to keep them happy? I placed them on the bottom of the tank toward the front and they are already open and flopping in the current.

Thanks,
Whiskey

[FishinInTheDark]

"Flopping in the current" could be good or bad. I had two feather dusters who seemed pretty happy until I moved one to a higher current area. At that point he did just what you described: flopped. He died the next day. I think they do better in low to medium current areas. This might be what you have, but the "flopping" made me want to relate my experience.

I don't feed mine anything special, and it's doing just great in its crevice.

Good luck with yours!

Conni

[Jimbo]

ummm.. what species are we talking about? Bispira brunnea? if so, they will propigate rapidly as long as you have a high calcium count (400-450ppm). if you are talking about the Sabellastarte sp., they do not require as much calcium, but are prone to predation because of their soft tubes. :(

[Whiskey]

How soft? These tubes are probably as soft as a coffee straw. They can be bent or broken but are much harder than a button polyp. The fingers seem to be white with a black ring around them, actually let me take a pic.

Looks like the "Dwarf Feather Dusters" cant remember the Latin a name. I have about a dozen of these in Pink and White. Havent had them "go forth and multiply yet" but thats the game plan. It is best if you slightly bury the tube in the sand a tad to keep them in place. You should locate them in a area that gets good current flow but wont pound them to bad either as they are filter feeders. Since mine are in reef tanks my Calcium stays up around 480-500 so I cant really comment on that aspect. A little Phytoplankton for them every now and again probably wouldnt hurt either.

[Jimbo]

ahhhhh.... i actually got one, 1 of these from a fellow reefers tank about 6 months ago, now, there are about 50 of them in my reef :shock: .. not only in my display tank, but would u beleive also another 10 in my sump, and about 15 in my fuge... yes, they propigate like mad! i like them tho. 8)

[Whiskey]

do they get any bigger? I have seen them with a tube 1/2 inch in diamiter but did not know there were diffrent speices. Will this one get this big in time and how much time do you think it would take? This is the only way I can think of to gauge if they are doing well.

Thanks,
Whiskey

[tyourkie66]

i have about 5 of these things that just started appearing on my live rock. i didnt buy any of them. i had my tank and lr set up since april.. its awesome that they are starting to grow and i didnt pay for them

[nbaker]

i have about 5 of these things that just started appearing on my live rock. i didnt buy any of them. i had my tank and lr set up since april.. its awesome that they are starting to grow and i didnt pay for them Same same and there's nothing better than getting what you paid for :wink: :wink: i see something new every few days to a week.

What species usually have sorta red or pinkish feathers?