Mnesarchus Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Hi, another question. My dealer has a... well a deal for 3 feather dusters for $24.99. Will three be ok in a 10g with 30 watts of normal output fluorescents? Link to comment
OscarBeast Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 I would imagine. They don't really care about light. They are filter feeders and need lots of food. Many starve to death in people's aquariums. Just be sure to feed the little boogers something like DTs to keep them happy and healthy. Link to comment
jollybluepunk Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 My lfs has 'em for $5.99 for those brown hawaiian ones and I'm also interested in getting one for my tank. However, I heard a lot about them not getting enough food and starving to death (just like the above reply)...do you just squirt the food in front of it's crown? Also, how hardy are these buggers? Link to comment
Satchmo Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 I've had my Hawaiian FD for about 6 wks now. He has grown, is always rebuilding his tube, and poops like a madman... and I don't feed it. The ONLY thing I've fed my tank thus far is daily flake food for my clown. The clown is a bit sloppy when crunching up the flakes and I don't use mechanical filtration or skimming, so this seems to suffice for him. Not to say every duster will work under the same conditions, but thought I'd share my experience. BTW- he's really cool to watch... you'll enjoy them! Link to comment
vanillabox Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 I got a rock from my LFS out of there live rock tank and after curring I noticed that it had 8 FDs on it. I just put in Micro Filter Feeder food in the tank every couple days plus feed the fish every 5 days. They seem to do fine. Link to comment
Lunchbucket Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 i have NEVER been able to keep large feather dusters alive. i even fed DT's every other day. i have not idea why...everythijng is in line and i feed. i give up on them Lunchbucket Link to comment
OscarBeast Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 jollybluepunk, Just feed in the tank. Target feeding will ususally cause them to close up. Link to comment
Sahin Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Feather dusters dont usually do too well in our tanks--especially small nanos. My LFS actually suggested I not buy one. They are filter feeders and dont use light. Their requirements are usually not matched by our tanks water. Having said that, with some people they seem to do alright. Link to comment
OscarBeast Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Dr. Ron would kill over dead if you told him you were going to get a feather duster in a nano. I read an article by him once that stated that many starved to death, even normal sized tanks. I try to feed my tank a cap full of DTs every other day for mine. I have had my giant feather duster since the very end of March and all it has done is grow. Not once has it lost its crown, like starving feathers will do. From what I understand, long-term success with these is not typical, but some people do fine with them. I would by no means recommend them, but I have been able to keep mine alive and healthy since March. Link to comment
NaNO ReeFiN Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 One of the employees at my LFS is an idiot then... I told him about my tank and wanted a nice easy hardy coral and the guy took me to the feather dusters... : Another reason why I hate this store... You guys in San Diego know which one I'm talking about... Clairemont something something... : Link to comment
ladyamanda Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Well my featherduster seems to be fine, and I know at least a cople respected books on reeefs in general say they are good choices for beginners... Mine seems fine, but I don't like Clairmont mumble, mumble, I like Octopuss Garden much better.... Link to comment
OscarBeast Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 NaNO ReeFiN, Did you tell him you had a nano? Feather dusters shouldnt be hard to keep at all in a larger, established tank that has a healthy DSB. Most larger, established tanks will have enough stuff in the water for them. Not to mention, most people with larger extablished tanks feed fairly often. For the most part, they need no attention at all and don't require any special lighting or feeding in a larger reef tank. This is what makes them easy if you have the right setup. Most Nanos just don't have enough good stuff in the water for them to eat. Even if you feed, it may not be enough. This is why I say I would not recommend them, in a nano. I have kept mine healthy for four months, but I am still unsure about the long-term survival. Link to comment
NaNO ReeFiN Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Yes, infact they had the same nano setup sitting on display, and I pointed to the tank (Alife 7 gal.) telling them that's exactly what I had. The guy was like, oh feather dusters would be a great addition to that tank... ??? Link to comment
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