Relocating Feather Dusters

[JohnMayer]

Well, I’m not exactly a new user—had my tank for many years—but I’ve never been able to devote as much time, money and attention to it as I’d have liked to. And it’s been distinctly on the back burner while I was back in school. During that time a colony of feather dusters or tube worms (“cluster dusters,” perhaps?) got started somehow; I’ve no idea where they came from. They’re all quite small, few of the plumes being as large as a quarter, most smaller than a dime. I like feather dusters and would probably be delighted, except that they have chosen to colonize the front side of my aquarium, making it increasingly difficult to enjoy viewing my tank. There now is a network of perhaps 200 of them laced all across the front side and ONLY the front side. They had not gained a foothold anywhere else till a month or two ago. Now there are also a few of them on a piece of coral, one of them already relatively large, its plume larger than a quarter.

My question: is it possible to move them off the glass onto some rock or dead coral without injuring (many of) them? Most have casings not much thicker than a spaghetti noodle. Would, for example, scraping them off with a razor blade allow most of them to survive?

Second question: I know, now, that I should have researched it first, but I just learned that I should protect my feather dusters from angel fish. Just so happens just days ago I bought a coral beauty angel. Should I anticipate wholesale feather duster slaughter?

Thanks!

Yours truly,
John Mayer

 

[Flreefer]

I think you could relocate them without any problems, as long as you can remove them with a blade without crushing their tubes. You may have some losses, but would probably be able to get most of them off without too much damage. They form all over rocks too, so it shouldn't be any problem moving them there.
Good luck with it!

 

[JohnMayer]

Okay, I’ll Start Scraping. How About the Angel Issue?

Fl Reefer has given me some encouragement, so I’ll start evicting them from the glass. Anyone any thoughts on the threat my new Coral Beauty Angel might present to them?

 

[jsmith]

Fl Reefer has given me some encouragement, so I’ll start evicting them from the glass. Anyone any thoughts on the threat my new Coral Beauty Angel might present to them?

Been my knowledge that angels don't bother feather dusters. If you don't like them I would split a part of then and take to the lfs you can split them if the come out of their tube they will create a new one... they seem to be imho very hardy.

 

[Flreefer]

It's really hard to say definitively, whether or not he will pick at the dusters, but I think if you keep him well fed, there's a good chance that he won't. Recommended diet for an Angel, is 50% meat based, and 50% vegetable based.

 

[JohnMayer]

Thanks, JSmith. I actually like the feather dusters, just not covering almost the entirety of the front glass. Makes it hard to appreciate my tank. I’ll try to scrape them off as gently as possible and relocate them. I’ve no idea where they came from (just as is the case with my engineer goby), but they seem to be thriving, whatever that indicates, good or bad. So far the CBA has shown no apparent interest in them, so I’m hoping for the best. I have discovered that comments on the web are about evenly divided between loving and hating Coral Beauties and about whether or not they are a danger to feather dusters.

 

[JohnMayer]

Thanks again, Fl reefer. I don’t remember the shop person specifying a diet, and I don’t think I have any veggie food. I’d better get some first chance I get.

 

[Flreefer]

No problem John,
One of my books states that Angels are susceptible to Vitamin A blindness, if they don't get enough vegetable matter in their diets. Many of the " angel foods" on the market are balanced in their quantities of meat/vegetable.
As far as the Coral Beauty goes, I've had 2, earlier in my salt career ( prob. too early in hindsight), and they didn't fair well. Lost each one within a month of introduction, and swore off of them. But this could have very well been my fault, and not the fishes.
From what I've read, some can be quite hardy, while others, not so much... Typically they don't handle shipping stress well, but if you can get them over the hump, they can be a hardy, easy to care for Angel. (Conscientious Marine Aquarist/Fenner)
Best of luck with him/her!