How to target feed feather dusters

LeslieH · #1 03/14/2007, 03:48 PM

Reading through posts I've noticed that almost no one seems to know the correct way to target feed feather dusters, coco worms, christimas tree worms, etc. These worms use small hairs on their crowns to create currents that pull water up from the bottom and through the crown. If you add phytoplankton or anything else from above it will just be moved away from the worm by their own currents - the worm will not get any food. To properly feed these guys make sure the food is released below the crown. There's a good discussion on this at
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...002/toonen.htm and illustrations of current movement through the crown at:
http://bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au/Polychae...d_feeding1.htm
http://www.wildsingapore.com/chekjawa/text/c312.htm

Travis L. Stevens · #2 03/14/2007, 04:16 PM

Nice. Thanks for sharing Leslie. FWIW, I just dose lots of phyto in front of a powerhead or return and let the current do the work

But if I decide to feed them directly, I know how to now.

WI Reef Lover · #3 03/14/2007, 10:11 PM

Thanks for the Post Leslie....
I've never heard this before. I usually just feed the entire tank from the powerhead area too but my boyfriend keeps feather dusters in his fish only tank because he really loves them and he target feeds them. They're so beautiful that it's always a shame to loose one because it simply starved to death needlessly.

This is the kind of information you just don't seem to get out of books.

Thanks a bunch!