"Rearing" feather dusters

I recently noticed a bunch of teny tiny feather dusters in a one of my QT tanks which most probably came off of a piece of rock that I was holding in the tank for a customer. Is it possibe that these feather dusters would survive or grow significantly in a tank? and if so, how do I go about providing the right conditions for optimium growth... I tried to take a picture but it's very difficult to notice them since the're so minute.

 

Those are a type of colonial feather duster. They may spread and be a nice large colony, but just as quickly as they appeared they might decline and disappear without doing anything one way or the other specifically for them.

HTH

 

I have these and also a bunch of white ones just like them all over the place. They have never gotten any bigger, and I don't think they do. I've done nothing special to promote their growth specifically. I think they are just another one of those critters that multiply pretty quick, in my experience.

 

Chances are the other two people who have responded are right. I also know that in my experience using purple up daily makes their tubes grow a little more quickly and on top of that---they love the stuff.

Anne

 

I use Purple Up myself and I like the results so far. However I believe the feather dusters best equipped to utilize it would be those that build hard calcium based tubes.

The colonial dusters I have in my minds eye when I see that pic posted above build tubes much like those of the giant hawiian feather dusters.

A live phytoplankton would help them spread...but since you already notice some growing they are obviously already getting what they need. Like I mentioned once above though, their numbers ebb and flow seemingly without reason but it's usually through no fault of your own. Just how it goes.

 

Being that Feather Dusters are filter feeders, like Tridacna clams and Sponges for example, they require and feed on nutrients in the water. If you feed your corals with phyto and/or zooplankton, then they are getting a substantial amount of food. Waste/detritus suspended in the water will also be accepted as nutrients by filter feeders.
One thing I should mention though is that not every coral/ filter feeder eats the same food stuff! For example Tridacna clams require very small nanoplankton food as plankton bigger in size will be discarded through a "cough" like motion. The important thing here is that you should try and vary/offer different foods!!!!