Suicidal Feather Duster

Kypros79 · 10-07-2007, 11:45 AM

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 · 10-07-2007, 01:17 PM

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 · 10-07-2007, 04:10 PM

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

Kypros79 · 10-07-2007, 10:17 PM

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 · 10-07-2007, 10:23 PM

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 · 10-07-2007, 10:51 PM

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 · 10-07-2007, 10:54 PM

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

Kypros79 · 10-07-2007, 10:57 PM

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 · 10-07-2007, 11:06 PM

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

Loverotties · 10-07-2007, 11:44 PM

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