feather duster and tang problem

[nemo79]

ok i got a feather duster and my yellow tang has been picking at it and it looks like some of the tube is damaged, has anyone ever heard of this and can i do anything? i had the body of the duster under substrate but it always removes itself, i have tried placing most of the body under a piece of LR but the tang is still picking. it doesn't pick at the tube opening but rather the middle portion of the body which encases the feather duster. any suggestions? the feather duster is still alive but i don't know for how long?

[Diver_1298]

Other than putting a basket around the duster I don't see how you are going to stop the Tang. They swim around the tank picking at algae and stuff on the rocks and glass. It's a natural part of what they do, and for some reason this Tang has got it in its head that the feather duster tube looks like a nice place to pick at.... Maybe someone else will have a better idea, sorry

Jim

[Tangster]

The duster has some algae on its tube. Now what I have done in the past over the yrs is to hang some broccoli in the tank for the tangs to graze on until they forget about that one duster. The tang is a migratory grazer in the wild and by nature like a buffalo herd (: they wander and pick. I have used the broccoli trick many times it works but it may take the tangs a few days to start eating the Broccoli. Its also great for them to eat and it will keep in the water for days untouched by the water unlike lettuce and the sheet algae some people use..

[nemo79]

wow, thanks for the info. the broccoli is a great idea. how do u clean it prior to adding it to the tank?
Is there any particular places dusters like to be? and will it survive?