Feather Duster problem

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SeeDemTails

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jan 16, 2006
Messages
436
Location
Daytona Beach FL
I have a large feather duster in my tank, I have had it for about 6 months and I just noticed recently that it has been looking a little ruff.....anything I can do?

P4150244.jpg
 
Do you feed phytoplankton or similarly sized foods?
What mobile inverts are in the tank?

Please post the numbers for your water parameters...

Cheers
Steve
 
The guy at the LFS has been testing my water for me on a weekly basis...I live 2 minutes from the store and the guy doesnt mind doing it for me.

Unfortunatley I dont have a test kit(please, dont crucify me! :? ) and the only thing he ever tells me "Your water is fine!".

I want to buy a test kit, but there are so many....which one should I buy?

The guy at the store tells me I dont even need to feed it, and that I shouldnt have to worry about it "They are super easy to keep".

I didnt beleive him so I bought the nano reef stuff to add to the tank to give it some food.

It has been in the tank for about a month....I have other smaller dusters on my live rock and the small white and maroon ones the grow out of the sand....all the other dusters, and the anemones are doing just fine, this one has just started loosing the hairs on its arms and some of the arms have started to break in the current.

I have it DIRECTLY it in front of the skilter 250 so it gets good flow, it isnt getting whipped around but it does get more flow than anything else in the tank. I figured since it was the biggest filter feeder, it needed it more than anything else. Is this too much flow?

Steve...you are the man, you have answered every question I have asked on this forum so far....you are a great asset to this place!


Thanks,

Billy
 
Steve...you are the man
I couldn't agree more.

You may have too much flow for that duster and it's probably getting laminar (one direction) flow at that. I would wait for Steve-s to come back on that one.

Salifert makes the best test kits (IMO) for NO2, NO3, Ca, Mg, and Alk. I use a meter for pH and refractometer for SG.
 
SeeDemTails said:
the only thing he ever tells me "Your water is fine!".
Never trust that. You really need to get your own kits, you never know when they will be needed and you cannot go on someone elses definatition of what is right for the inhabitants of your tank. Dusters in particular are especially sensitive to nitrogens. If there is even a hint of NH3 or NO2 they will suffer and most likely perish. NO3 although not as bad will harm them if elevated.

I want to buy a test kit, but there are so many....which one should I buy?
Don't break the bank on these test kits. Most are pretty accurate as long as they are SW based and not SW/FW. I find FW cross over kits to be less accurate. Salifert is my #1 choice for most types but there are several that will due in regards to nitrogen testing.

The guy at the store tells me I dont even need to feed it, and that I shouldnt have to worry about it "They are super easy to keep".
Nonsense! (strike two for the LFS). They require regular feeding of phytoplankton, especially in a new tank. These guys are heavy filter feeders. In a welll matured tank with plenty of fish they can get by without feeding do to constant influx of nutrient but I still feed mine twice weekly. You don't need much but it should be done regularly. I would also use DT's oyster eggs. Just be sure you turn off the skimmer for an hour or two.

I didnt beleive him so I bought the nano reef stuff to add to the tank to give it some food.
What kind?

I have it DIRECTLY it in front of the skilter 250 so it gets good flow, it isnt getting whipped around but it does get more flow than anything else in the tank. I figured since it was the biggest filter feeder, it needed it more than anything else. Is this too much flow?
It will do best in moderate random flow. I would move the duster somewhere it will get lower flow. If too brisk or constant, it stands a good chance of casting off it's crown. When choosing a spot, do not be concerned with light just flow. It shouldn't be strong enough to push the crown over at all, only enough to gentley sway the top of it. If the flow is too strong, it will capture less food.

Cheers
Steve
 
cmor1701d said:
Salifert makes the best test kits (IMO) for NO2, NO3, Ca, Mg, and Alk. I use a meter for pH and refractometer for SG.


Is a test kit that test for NO2, NO3, Ca, Mg, and Alk sufficient?...do they make ones that test for more or less?.....or should I look for one that test for those things only?

Thanks Steve!
 
They pretty well make them to test anything you want. But those that Cmor said plus PH will be good to check. I also feed mine the DT oyster eggs. Good food for filter feeders.
 
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