Impulse buy

[SallyWho]

I was ordering some stuff online and needed to get up to the minimum for them to ship, so I impulsively added a feather duster to my cart. I've never had a filter feeder before (outside of a couple of hitchhikers a long time ago), so I've been reading up on them. I just wanted to clarify a few points that I couldn't easily find via google and the search function here.

- Will my cleaner shrimp eat it? Can I just place it on the other side of the tank from where the shrimp tends to hang out? (other tank inhabitants include clown pair, kole tang, foxface, dwarf flame angel, pithos crabs, and various snails)
- It's an established 90g that I feed pretty heavily (pellet and frozen). Lots of pods in there and all that. Will I need to dose phyto or oyster feast or something to supplement it?
- My phosphates are chronically high and I've never been able to figure out why. Will higher phosphates kill it off?
- Do I just stick it in the sandbed? Jam it in between some rock? Glue it to something like I would a frag?
- Does it care about lighting?

Thanks for your help! I know I shouldn't have impulsively added it to my order but now that it's coming, I want to take good care of it!

 

[Stomatopods17]

Don't glue it, feather dusters are actual worms. They'll leave the tube if they dont like it and build another out of the debris+their mucus. Usually they won't abandon their current tube if placed in a good spot but if glued you risk hurting the worm or limiting it from expanding as needed.

You'll likely need to supplement it with filter feeder stuff.

Crabs may try to eat it, grazing fish may bother its crown (they'll grow another if it drops it or gets damaged), shrimp will bother it if you spray the food on it and no where else, make sure they're getting fed elsewhere, you could cover it and spot feed it food as well.

 

[SallyWho]

Don't glue it, feather dusters are actual worms. They'll leave the tube if they dont like it and build another out of the debris+their mucus. Usually they won't abandon their current tube if placed in a good spot but if glued you risk hurting the worm or limiting it from expanding as needed.

You'll likely need to supplement it with filter feeder stuff.

Crabs may try to eat it, grazing fish may bother its crown (they'll grow another if it drops it or gets damaged), shrimp will bother it if you spray the food on it and no where else, make sure they're getting fed elsewhere, you could cover it and spot feed it food as well.

Thanks!

 

[BristleWormHater]

Live phtyofeast works great for dusters.

 

[mdpitts]

I just also impulsively purchase a feather duster worm and I thought I'd second the not feeding it by a shrimp. I put it near some rock where my peppermint shrimp hangs out and the shrimp waves his little legs around and scares the duster back into his tube. I'm moving the worm tonight after work.

Also, I was going to nudge it over with some tongs last night and wouldn't you know it the majority of the tube broke off and immediately went down under some rock. I thought I killed it but the duster part poked itself out of what remained - about a quarter inch of tube - so if that happens to you don't panic. I'm wafting Oyster Feast and Phyto Feast at mine.