Fd

[priestfield]

Hi All
I put a posting here a few weeks ago about my FD losing its crown,Ive been waiting for some signs of life from it ever since and yesterday I saw a few small feathers protrude out of the tube for a short while and then go back in. I got all exited and was sat watching it every time I got the chance. Tonight I got home from work and found the worm next to the tube. Horrified I thought he was a gonna then noticed he was making tracks across the sand bed. Ive heard before that they can do this and build or make a new tube. but whats its chance of survival with the fish and hermits in the tank? I have 2x demsey(blue). 2x clowns and 1x lawnmower blennie. They have investigated it but not ventured too close to it. The hermits( dwarf x 2) move about quite abit. so will probably bump into it soon.

 

[petpirate]

Hi All
I put a posting here a few weeks ago about my FD losing its crown,Ive been waiting for some signs of life from it ever since and yesterday I saw a few small feathers protrude out of the tube for a short while and then go back in. I got all exited and was sat watching it every time I got the chance. Tonight I got home from work and found the worm next to the tube. Horrified I thought he was a gonna then noticed he was making tracks across the sand bed. Ive heard before that they can do this and build or make a new tube. but whats its chance of survival with the fish and hermits in the tank? I have 2x demsey(blue). 2x clowns and 1x lawnmower blennie. They have investigated it but not ventured too close to it. The hermits( dwarf x 2) move about quite abit. so will probably bump into it soon.

Feather dusters commonly lose their crown when they are not fed sufficiently. THey need a lot of phytoplankton to survive. When they are not getting enough energy (from food), they shed their crown, and replace it with a smaller one that will require less energy to maintain. However, the regerenration process takes up lots of energy in itself - and of course the new crown may collect even less food. They can only go theough this process a few times before starving.

This happens all too often in marine tanks - feather dusters aren't as easy to keep as some people maintain.

As for exiting their tube, this is often a response to stress - say, a tankmate nipping on it, or due to proximity to a coral.

There's not much you can do - hopefully it will pick a new place and build a new tube. Most likely, it will be predated. If it does survive, be sure to feed it fresh/live phytoplankton regularly, shooting it under the base of the tube. Or get a nice, scummy, dirty refugium going, to feed it.

 

[JJ1234567]

I used to think FD's were hard to keep. but since my Nano cube Breaking on me the large feather duster I had is the only thing that isnt a fish or crab or snail that survived. I have since kept it in a ten gallon with plenty of live rock and my two remaining clowns. I have not fed it once since its been put there (5 months now) and it has only grown.

alot of people I talk to have had similar experiences. Supplemental feeding isnt a bad thing, but by all means I do no believe it is required.

 

[steelhealr]

I think JJ's experience is 'anecdotal' I agree with pet pirate that feather dusters are much harder to keep alive than is maintained at lfs' and websites. This is especially true in nano tanks as the amount of phyto necessary to feed them is enough to create nutrient 'havoc' in the tank. SH