Suicidal Feather Duster

[Kypros79]

I've got a feather duster that is climbing out of its tube! The critter does react to light though. If this is normal behavior, it's new to me. Any advice out there?

thanks

[Fly Guy]

Something is making it not happy. As long as you dont have any critters to eat it while it is out and vulnerable it should make a new tube and live happily ever after

[jenajet]

Welcome to TRT! How long have you had it? If it is new did you acclimate it?

[Kypros79]

I've had it for over 2 months. I just moved to baton rouge 2 weeks ago, though. I had a water crisis on a sunday evening (what luck, no store open) and I had to mix some salt with questionable H20. I have (since then) put down some money on "Real Ocean Water" by Aquatic Gardens. I was hoping to make ammends for the bad H2O injustice. I have done one water change per week since the move, and every one else seems happy. My last change was 1 day ago... coincidence, or did I make a bad move with the "real ocean water"?

Just as an update for my feather duster; he's completely out of his tube now, and it looks like he was involuntarily decapitated by my 6 line wrass, emerald crab, hermits, and nessarius snails. So i'm pretty much giving up on his chance of survival. Looks like the vultures/scavengers are making a move.

[Fly Guy]

dont give up...if all he did was drop his crown, that is actually fairly common, especially if he was stressed enough to bail ship in the first place.

[Kypros79]

I've seen a couple of posts that talk about that. It seemed like it should be a "clean cut" type of deal... that's not what's going on in my case. It's still loosely attached. I also think I see lesions, or discolorations of the worm’s body. I could be wrong; I’ve never seen a naked feather duster before. At what point should I be concerned about pulling him out of the aquarium? I am worried about the impact of a 3 inch annelid worm disintegrating in my aquarium.

[Fly Guy]

It will be real easy to tell if its alive or not. When you grab it does it wiggle?? If not its dead.

[Kypros79]

The hairs that it uses to move in and out of the tube are wiggling, and it moves a bit on one end (opposite the duster part). There's nothing dramatic about it's movements at all though... very sluggish.

[Fly Guy]

doesnt sound good...but id probably give it a chance until it stops moving

[Loverotties]

They pop their tops(crowns) and grow bigger ones.