Feather Duster Worm: Complete Care Guide

In this article, we will be learning about the Feather Duster worm. It is great to have these creatures in the tank, and it's fun to watch them jump into their hole whenever they are scared.

Feather Duster Worm

Prices: Normally, you will have to spend too much to get one of these in your tank. However, it will cost you just $15.

Care Level: They are super easy to take care of. They are a great, easy, beginner coral. You will not have to do too much to keep them alive. 

Water Parameter

  • Temperature: You want to keep your water temperature between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit
  • dKH: 8-12
  • pH: 8.1-8.4
  • Salinity: 1.023-1.025

Just make sure you are not dosing chemicals like copper and coral dips, as they might not survive it.

Colors: Most of the time, you will find variations of brown in your local fish store. Some of the more expensive ones will have purple and yellow colors.

Diet

They are filter feeders. They will be eating plankton and other smaller bacterias in the tank. Just microscopic things are floating around the tank. In a well-established reef tank, they will be eating all day long. If you want to feed them extra food, then you can try providing them liquid coral food.

Origin

They come from all over the world. They are found in almost every reef ocean from the Indo-pacific to Australia.

Venomous

No, they will not sting any of your corals. So you don't have to worry about them being stung either.

Placement

Definitely bottom, on the sand bed, is the ideal place for this coral. But, you want o burry them into the sand too. This will provide them a good anchor into the rock, and too much current will not be able to push them around. So, when you get them, bury their body in the sand while keeping their head out. It will also grab little pieces of rubber rock, and they will keep them anchored too.  It is not recommended to put them up in the tank.

Current

These corals appreciate medium to high current. But, make sure it is not too low, and algae can grow on the tube of the feather duster, and Tangs will constantly pick at the tube, which might stress your coral. So, if their feather is moving around, then the current intensity is right in your tank.

Lighting

As they are filter feeders, they do not depend on photosynthesis for their food. So, it is not necessary to have bright reef lighting to grow. But it would be best if you still got nice LEDs to mimic the sun, as it will keep them really happy. If you want to stay multiple feather dusters in your tank, you just want to make sure that they get plenty of food to eat.

There is a mouth at the center of this coral. They will use this feather to catch food adn push it towards its mouth. When disturbed, it will quickly pull in that tube, and to protect itself, it can detach the feather sending it floating around the tank. So, if this ever happened, just leave them there. They will filter feed and grow a whole new set of feathers.

 

 

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