# what is this??????



## bshobes (May 8, 2013)

what are these two things they just popped up


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Left is a mushroom,and on the right is a feather duster.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> Left is a mushroom,and on the right is a feather duster.


At first I thought that was a feather duster too, but now I wonder if it's a starfish.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

coralbandit said:


> Left is a mushroom,and on the right is a feather duster.


+1


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> what are these two things they just popped up


The critter on the right may be a Feather Duster...it's difficult to tell for certain without seeing how it's anchored to the rock. If it's a Feather Duster the feathers are attached to a worm living inside a parchment-like tube. When frightened etc., the worm will pull it's feathery crown in and out of a tube very quickly, usually several times daily. Does it appear that the feathers are coming out of a tube? The tubes are sometimes hard to see if they're tucked into a rock or coral. That said, your picture reminds me a lot of the Feather Stars being offered for sale on this webpage at finaddictsaltwaterfish. Feather Stars look a lot like Feather Dusters, but unlike Feather Duster they don't live in tubes and they can actually use their feathery crown to swim around. Chris Metcalf, the guy who owns Finaddict collects them himself and may be able to give you care-tips if it turns out to be a star. Duster or Star...either way that's a super nice hitchhiker.

The mushroom in the picture looks a lot like a Discosoma Mushroom I have. I looked on the invoice from when I bought it and it's called a Discosoma Neglecta. For what it's worth, I call it an Umbrella Mushroom, (that's what I was told). I've had trouble getting mine to thrive. I think I had it too high in the tank and had too much flow on it. I moved it lower and into the shade and now it's finally starting to perk up. 

Hope this helps.


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## bshobes (May 8, 2013)

Goby said:


> The critter on the right may be a Feather Duster...it's difficult to tell for certain without seeing how it's anchored to the rock. If it's a Feather Duster the feathers are attached to a worm living inside a parchment-like tube. When frightened etc., the worm will pull it's feathery crown in and out of a tube very quickly, usually several times daily. Does it appear that the feathers are coming out of a tube? The tubes are sometimes hard to see if they're tucked into a rock or coral. That said, your picture reminds me a lot of the Feather Stars being offered for sale on this webpage at finaddictsaltwaterfish. Feather Stars look a lot like Feather Dusters, but unlike Feather Duster they don't live in tubes and they can actually use their feathery crown to swim around. Chris Metcalf, the guy who owns Finaddict collects them himself and may be able to give you care-tips if it turns out to be a star. Duster or Star...either way that's a super nice hitchhiker.
> 
> The mushroom in the picture looks a lot like a Discosoma Mushroom I have. I looked on the invoice from when I bought it and it's called a Discosoma Neglecta. For what it's worth, I call it an Umbrella Mushroom, (that's what I was told). I've had trouble getting mine to thrive. I think I had it too high in the tank and had too much flow on it. I moved it lower and into the shade and now it's finally starting to perk up.
> 
> Hope this helps.


ok then it might be a duster ...because when i tap on the tank it disappears and you cant see it until it starts to fan out again.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> ok then it might be a duster ...because when i tap on the tank it disappears and you cant see it until it starts to fan out again.


I bet it's a feather duster. I never get cool hitchhikers like mushrooms and feather dusters. Did they come with some live rock or did they just appear one day?


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## bshobes (May 8, 2013)

Goby said:


> I bet it's a feather duster. I never get cool hitchhikers like mushrooms and feather dusters. Did they come with some live rock or did they just appear one day?


I seen the coral coming out of the sand so i kind of dug around it and it was on a piece of shell. there is like 5 of the dusters on the shell!!!


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> what are these two things they just popped up


I Googled Feather Duster Species and found a site that has some good information on the different types. I didn't realize that feather dusters needed to be placed low in the tank. Hmm...that explains a few things.

Browse Species in Fan/Feather-Duster Worms

Yours kinda looks like this one...

View Sabellastarte fallax

I received a Giant Feather Duster from my kids for Mothers Day but my purple spiny urchin got a hold of it, broke through its tube and ate a good part of the dusters lower half. I moved the duster to a safer spot but shortly thereafter he popped his feather crown off. That was several days ago. I haven't touched it since. I assumed the duster was likely dead after being half eaten but tonight I noticed him pop out of his tube a few minutes after I fed zooplankton. Crazy.

That urchin went sump diving this week.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> I seen the coral coming out of the sand so i kind of dug around it and it was on a piece of shell. there is like 5 of the dusters on the shell!!!


That is so awesome! Do you have anything in your tank that will eat the feather dusters? The link I just sent you says...

_"When it comes to keeping any of the ornamental type worms, predators like triggerfish, wrasses, angelfish, most shrimp, and the arrow crab will not make suitable tankmates." _

Funny it doesn't mention urchins.


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## bshobes (May 8, 2013)

Goby said:


> I Googled Feather Duster Species and found a site that has some good information on the different types. I didn't realize that feather dusters needed to be placed low in the tank. Hmm...that explains a few things.
> 
> Browse Species in Fan/Feather-Duster Worms
> 
> ...




mine does look like that one ... mine is very small probably like half an inch or so...from what i understand is a feather duster is a type of bristleworm. I dont know i could be wrong.... i want to get a coral beauty but they tend to eat dusters.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> mine does look like that one ... mine is very small probably like half an inch or so...from what i understand is a feather duster is a type of bristleworm. I dont know i could be wrong.... i want to get a coral beauty but they tend to eat dusters.


I had a coral beauty for well over a year and she lived with several feather dusters and never bothered them. The person who has her now also has feather dusters and hasn't mentioned her bothering them, although I've never asked. 

I didn't know that fan worms were considered a type of bristle worm. I'm on call for another hour and 15 minutes...no better time to Google worms than now.


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## bshobes (May 8, 2013)

Goby said:


> I had a coral beauty for well over a year and she lived with several feather dusters and never bothered them. The person who has her now also has feather dusters and hasn't mentioned her bothering them, although I've never asked.
> 
> I didn't know that fan worms were considered a type of bristle worm. I'm on call for another hour and 15 minutes...no better time to Google worms than now.


all i have is 2 clown, 3 emerald crabs, 1 blue tipped hermit, and a mandarin goby...but i dont think any of them will mess with the dusters


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> all i have is 2 clown, 3 emerald crabs, 1 blue tipped hermit, and a mandarin goby...but i dont think any of them will mess with the dusters


I think crabs will eat anything if they get hungry enough but if you keep them fed they don't seem to bother much...at least mine don't. Against the advice of some I got 2 Mathrix crabs- one green and one red. They have been such an entertaining addition to my reef and have thus far not bothered anything. I don't trust them though and I acknowledge the risks of keeping them. The good thing is that they're super easy to catch if need be. How does your mandarin do with regards to his diet? Are you able to keep weight on him?


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## bshobes (May 8, 2013)

Goby said:


> I think crabs will eat anything if they get hungry enough but if you keep them fed they don't seem to bother much...at least mine don't. Against the advice of some I got 2 Mathrix crabs- one green and one red. They have been such an entertaining addition to my reef and have thus far not bothered anything. I don't trust them though and I acknowledge the risks of keeping them. The good thing is that they're super easy to catch if need be. How does your mandarin do with regards to his diet? Are you able to keep weight on him?


i have only had him about a week now .... i put copepod larvae in the sponge type filter that is before the sump pump .but i havent seen them in the tank ....but he swims around nibbling at the rocks so im guessing that he is eating....i have brine shrimp in my tank and they have been getting less and less noticeable within the rock so i am going to hatch some.


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## Goby (Mar 21, 2012)

bshobes said:


> i have only had him about a week now .... i put copepod larvae in the sponge type filter that is before the sump pump .but i havent seen them in the tank ....but he swims around nibbling at the rocks so im guessing that he is eating....i have brine shrimp in my tank and they have been getting less and less noticeable within the rock so i am going to hatch some.


I believe it will be difficult to seed your tank with pods via larvae only. However if it does work and you're able to establish a breeding colony, it may take too long with regards to your mandarins dietary needs. I imagine the mandarin is enjoying the brine, but it's my understanding that brine will not sustain a mandarin for long. Don't quote me on that. I'm certain they can't live on brine forever. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I read your reef is around 30 gallons? I have a 55 gallon tank with a very very large sump. Both my tank and my sump are currently loaded with many species of pods yet I'd still be hesitant to add a mandarin without a source of constant pod production outside of my reef. I tried once and mine got very thin and I had to take him to a LFS where he still lives in their coral tank. My in-tank pod population couldn't keep up with the insatiable appetite of a mandarin. Just an FYI. 

That said, with the guidance of Sally Jo at Garf.org I was able to successfully culture my own pods, so I may try a mandarin again someday. Currently, I don't want to make that big of a commitment to a single fish. 

You may benefit by Googling for pictures of healthy mandarins versus thin mandarins because if you've never seen the difference it may be difficult to notice if/when your mandarin starts to fail. The long bone that runs horizontally along each side of your mandarin, should not appear sharp. It really shouldn't be noticeable at all. That said, I wouldn't read too much into a mandarin picking at live rock. 

Good luck. Mandarins are one of my favorite. It's difficult for me to pass them up when I come across one.


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