Feather duster Infestation

[ariellemermaid]

My DT has been a challenge from day 1. My ugly stage lasted nearly a year and I’ve struggled to keep nutrients in the tank. Still can’t keep any SPS alive despite extremely stable parameters.

Anyway, where I’m at now is that my rocks are mostly clear of algae and I’m thinking towards placing my corals. However, the rocks are absolutely covered in feather dusters. I have a really pretty zoa island but the dusters on one side of it have completely killed/pushed back the zoa polyps to the other side. When there were only a few on that island I put superglue over them, but in the past month there are more than ever and they’re bigger than ever.

Is this a common problem? I know aiptasia can do this but I wasn’t aware feather dusters can be so invasive. What are my options? Spot treatment is definitely out; it’s a 200g system and there are probably more than 1000.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Forgot my media!

 

[Sump Crab]

Sorry to say that you’re suffering from sterile tank syndrome. A tank started with dry rock and also has little to no real diversity any hitchhiker with the ability to multiply that makes it into the tank has zero competition and takes over. Only real fix I can offer is to add a substantial amount of ocean liverock.

 

[Sump Crab]

Sorry to say that you’re suffering from sterile tank syndrome. A tank started with dry rock and also has little to no real diversity any hitchhiker with the ability to multiply that makes it into the tank has zero competition and takes over. Only real fix I can offer is to add a substantial amount of ocean liverock.

I see your pic and have to say I love those feather dusters! They are beautiful. I wish I could find someSpreading feather dusters for my tank!

 

[Pistondog]

Coris wrasse or perhaps melanarus wrasse.

 

[vetteguy53081]

My DT has been a challenge from day 1. My ugly stage lasted nearly a year and I’ve struggled to keep nutrients in the tank. Still can’t keep any SPS alive despite extremely stable parameters.

Anyway, where I’m at now is that my rocks are mostly clear of algae and I’m thinking towards placing my corals. However, the rocks are absolutely covered in feather dusters. I have a really pretty zoa island but the dusters on one side of it have completely killed/pushed back the zoa polyps to the other side. When there were only a few on that island I put superglue over them, but in the past month there are more than ever and they’re bigger than ever.

Is this a common problem? I know aiptasia can do this but I wasn’t aware feather dusters can be so invasive. What are my options? Spot treatment is definitely out; it’s a 200g system and there are probably more than 1000.

These arent feather dusters but rather tube worms which emit their fans to capture food and with food rapidly colonize. Direct flow towards them - Not at them and they will soon starve.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Sorry to say that you’re suffering from sterile tank syndrome. A tank started with dry rock and also has little to no real diversity any hitchhiker with the ability to multiply that makes it into the tank has zero competition and takes over. Only real fix I can offer is to add a substantial amount of ocean liverock.

This tank was started with a combination of admittedly mostly dry rock but also some live rock from other tanks in addition to various cycled media. Also I’ve transferred a lot of life from both the old DT and my 3yo thriving reef (inverts, corals) QT. Weirdly, this is the first tank with this being out of control.

I see your pic and have to say I love those feather dusters! They are beautiful. I wish I could find someSpreading feather dusters for my tank!

It’s interesting that my other 3yo (QT) reef tank and old DT has had a vermitid problem and now this one has nothing but these. I wouldn’t mind them, but they’re irritating my coral frags and I’d rather have a tank full of corals. I guess this is better than vermitids though because the vermitids put out long strings to irritate corals.

These arent feather dusters but rather tube worms which emit their fans to capture food and with food rapidly colonize. Direct flow towards them - Not at them and they will soon starve.

Interesting. They’re different? When I search for “tube worm vs. feather duster” I just get a lot of feather duster results or mixed terms e.g. “feather duster tube worms.” Not sure I can do much with the flow though. They’re literally everywhere on all sides of every rock. As for food, I’d say I feed pretty light for the stock and my nutrients stay near zero- if anything I’d bet my corals would like more.

 

[Sump Crab]

This tank was started with a combination of admittedly mostly dry rock but also some live rock from other tanks in addition to various cycled media. Also I’ve transferred a lot of life from both the old DT and my 3yo thriving reef (inverts, corals) QT. Weirdly, this is the first tank with this being out of control.

It’s interesting that my other 3yo (QT) reef tank and old DT has had a vermitid problem and now this one has nothing but these. I wouldn’t mind them, but they’re irritating my coral frags and I’d rather have a tank full of corals. I guess this is better than vermitids though because the vermitids put out long strings to irritate corals.

Interesting. They’re different? When I search for “tube worm vs. feather duster” I just get a lot of feather duster results or mixed terms e.g. “feather duster tube worms.” Not sure I can do much with the flow though. They’re literally everywhere on all sides of every rock. As for food, I’d say I feed pretty light for the stock and my nutrients stay near zero- if anything I’d bet my corals would like more.

When I made my original post (before you post the picture) I assumed your issue was a lot worse than it it. I was expecting entire rocks covered with the little guys. To me it kinda looks like a creature finding its natural balance in your tank. If it were me I wouldn’t really worry. If you hate them try a copperband butterfly, it will eat them.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Sorry to say that you’re suffering from sterile tank syndrome. A tank started with dry rock and also has little to no real diversity any hitchhiker with the ability to multiply that makes it into the tank has zero competition and takes over. Only real fix I can offer is to add a substantial amount of ocean liverock.

Huh?

 

[Sump Crab]

Huh?

“Sterile tank syndrome” is a term I made up but the idea of hitchhikers easily overtaking dry rock tanks is well accepted. That’s why QT, dips, manual removal etc are so important when running a tank that way.

 

[BeanAnimal]

These arent feather dusters but rather tube worms which emit their fans to capture food and with food rapidly colonize. Direct flow towards them - Not at them and they will soon starve.

huh?

 

[BeanAnimal]

“Sterile tank syndrome” is a term I made up but the idea of hitchhikers easily overtaking dry rock tanks is well accepted. That’s why QT, dips, manual removal etc are so important when running a tank that way.

You admission that we QT/dip/etc rock to get rid of that stuff, but advise the OP he needs it is rather contradictory.

In any case, yes live rock comes with good and bad stuff on it, but by no means is it a must have for a healthy mature tank. Beneficial and diverse organisms come in with just about anything put in the tank… I.E his tube worms

 

[Sump Crab]

You admission that we QT/dip/etc rock to get rid of that stuff, but advise the OP he needs it is rather contradictory.

In any case, yes live rock comes with good and bad stuff on it, but by no means is it a must have for a healthy mature tank. Beneficial and diverse organisms come in with just about anything put in the tank… I.E his tube worms

I don’t and never have dipped or qt anything (I run ocean liverock). I was merely pointing out that it’s important to dip/qt for dry rock tanks because if anything gets in they can take over quickly.

I don’t think you are grasping my point. The reason certain hitchhikers take over dry rock tanks easier than ocean live rock tanks seems to be due to a lack of natural competition. So to battle hitchhikers competition is key. Easiest way to create more competition is by adding more critters. Easiest way to add more critters is to add ocean liverock.

And yes there are many ways to skin a cat.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

They’re different?

Not really, no. Feather duster worms - colloquially, at least - are worms from the taxonomic order Sabellida (which, to my knowledge, currently includes the families, Sabellidae, Serpulidae, Fabriciidae, and Siboglinidae). Some people break it down with "fan worms"/"feather duster worms" being from Sabellidae, "tube worms" being from Serpulidae, and "giant tube worms" from Siboglinidae. However, many worms build tubes (so I find those common names not very descriptive/helpful), and all of the above families consist of worms that send out fans/feather duster like crowns to filter feed.

So, personally, I lump all worms from the order Sabellida into the category of "feather duster worms." (Though if I recognize the species and it has a more specific common name - such as "Christmas Tree Worm" or "Coco Worm," for example - then I'll use typically use that name to talk about the species instead of the more generic "Feather Duster Worm" name.)

 

[PotatoPig]

Not really, no. Feather duster worms - colloquially, at least - are worms from the taxonomic order Sabellida (which, to my knowledge, currently includes the families, Sabellidae, Serpulidae, Fabriciidae, and Siboglinidae). Some people break it down with "fan worms"/"feather duster worms" being from Sabellidae, "tube worms" being from Serpulidae, and "giant tube worms" from Siboglinidae. However, many worms build tubes (so I find those common names not very descriptive/helpful), and all of the above families consist of worms that send out fans/feather duster like crowns to filter feed.

So, personally, I lump all worms from the order Sabellida into the category of "feather duster worms." (Though if I recognize the species and it has a more specific common name - such as "Christmas Tree Worm" or "Coco Worm," for example - then I'll use typically use that name to talk about the species instead of the more generic "Feather Duster Worm" name.)

Piggybacking on this - do you happen to know if Christmas tree worms need corals? Or are they purely filter feeders that host well with corals?

 

[PotatoPig]

Forgot my media!

Probably doesn’t help with the issue - but at least they’re pretty

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Piggybacking on this - do you happen to know if Christmas tree worms need corals? Or are they purely filter feeders that host well with corals?

They seem to need corals for settlement (i.e. for when they transition from pelagic larvae to benthic, sessile juveniles), but other than that they - to the best of my knowledge - don’t need corals. However, to my understanding, the corals offer them some protection from/a competitive edge against other rock boring invertebrates.

To quote what I told someone else a while ago on the subject:

“My understanding is yes, but they seem to use the corals for protection (mostly from other boring species - the coral seems to deter more species than just calcium carbonate rock/coral skeleton does). So - assuming you don't have too many other rock boring species in the tank - the worms should do okay even if the coral dies (but in the wild, where there are tons of rock boring species, the worms would likely die out shortly after the coral does).”

 

[BeanAnimal]

I don’t and never have dipped or qt anything (I run ocean liverock). I was merely pointing out that it’s important to dip/qt for dry rock tanks because if anything gets in they can take over quickly.

I don’t think you are grasping my point. The reason certain hitchhikers take over dry rock tanks easier than ocean live rock tanks seems to be due to a lack of natural competition. So to battle hitchhikers competition is key. Easiest way to create more competition is by adding more critters. Easiest way to add more critters is to add ocean liverock.

And yes there are many ways to skin a cat.

I got your point (even if you are still somewhat contradicting your own advice )

I just don't wholly agree.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Not really, no. Feather duster worms - colloquially, at least - are worms from the taxonomic order Sabellida (which, to my knowledge, currently includes the families, Sabellidae, Serpulidae, Fabriciidae, and Siboglinidae). Some people break it down with "fan worms"/"feather duster worms" being from Sabellidae, "tube worms" being from Serpulidae, and "giant tube worms" from Siboglinidae. However, many worms build tubes (so I find those common names not very descriptive/helpful), and all of the above families consist of worms that send out fans/feather duster like crowns to filter feed.

So, personally, I lump all worms from the order Sabellida into the category of "feather duster worms." (Though if I recognize the species and it has a more specific common name - such as "Christmas Tree Worm" or "Coco Worm," for example - then I'll use typically use that name to talk about the species instead of the more generic "Feather Duster Worm" name.)

Pretty much.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not really, no. Feather duster worms - colloquially, at least - are worms from the taxonomic order Sabellida (which, to my knowledge, currently includes the families, Sabellidae, Serpulidae, Fabriciidae, and Siboglinidae). Some people break it down with "fan worms"/"feather duster worms" being from Sabellidae, "tube worms" being from Serpulidae, and "giant tube worms" from Siboglinidae. However, many worms build tubes (so I find those common names not very descriptive/helpful), and all of the above families consist of worms that send out fans/feather duster like crowns to filter feed.

So, personally, I lump all worms from the order Sabellida into the category of "feather duster worms." (Though if I recognize the species and it has a more specific common name - such as "Christmas Tree Worm" or "Coco Worm," for example - then I'll use typically use that name to talk about the species instead of the more generic "Feather Duster Worm" name.)

Agreed. serpulidae sp. are the large true dusters whereas the sabillida construct their tubes out of cemented sand grains and emit the fans in search of food and often cluster as they become nourished and continue to colonize. Some fish that MAY (its hit and miss) eat these smaller worms are Coris wrasse, Flame hawk, purple dottyback, CBB Butterfly, pencil wrasse, pitho crab and pencil wrasses.