Featherless Feather duster.

[ricknbecky]

I have two feather duster worms one is purple and the other lime green. Tonight I noticed that my green one had released its feathers. Is this ok is there a chance that he will grow them back. I plan of checking him tommarrow to see if I can feel movement inside the tube, Should I be worried?

[Satchmo]

They're known to do this. In the absence of anything out of whack with your water quality or other livestock, let him be. There's a good chance he'll grow his crown back.

[Wigguh Noony]

...Its just like when a hermit crab or a shrimp sheds his skin. Its actually SUPPOSED to happen..

 

How is he?

[Squishie]

This is the becky half of RickNBecky, I got tired of asking him for the passcode so I just made my own account. But the green feather duster has not yet shown himself yet I do examin him at each W/C and he is still alive and moving inside of his tube, so I am not to worried. He has however been named by my mothers business partner "The Stick Monster"

[Satchmo]

Originally posted by Wigguh Noony

...Its just like when a hermit crab or a shrimp sheds his skin. Its actually SUPPOSED to happen..

 

That's not accurate. A duster shedding his crown is a stress reaction. Crustaceans' molting is part of its normal growth cycle. Feather dusters are not supposed to do this. They can and will for any number of reasons, but not as part of its normal biological process. It would be a better analogy to compare a duster's release of its feeding apparatus to a coral who belches its zooxanthellae.

 

Usually, the feathers will grow back and the worm will be fine. Glad to hear he's still kickin' in his tube.

[tinyreef]

have you check your tank readings? greens are more sensitive ime. if your readings are in line i would think about running carbon and/or Polyfilters to extract anything that may be in the water.

 

i agree with satch that most likely it's a stress reaction. any true crabs or shrimp in the tank? i've had peppermints tear the hell out of dusters. any recent changes or new additions?

 

btw why didn't you just do beckynrick?

[Krista]

I agree with satcho, it is a stress response. I just went to my local reef club and the infamous Rob Toonen was the speaker!! His talk was about various " worms" found in reef tanks. He mentioned feather dusters losing there crown when stressed, often times when they are unable to capture the right sized food. When they grow them back often times the crown will be smaller to catch more food of smaller size. I hope your worms recover.

[Squishie]

I am writing under Squishie becuase that is my name under MIRC and I can't remember what the passcode is that Rick Created For RickNBecky.

I do run carbon and a poly filter. When I test water chemistry all is good.

this happened a couple of weeks ago. He kicks about more now. Unlike my purple one who is happy buried in the sand this ones tube remails out of the sand no matter what I try, So when ever he darts back into his tube he allways falls face first onto the sandy bottom of the tank.

I have recently moved and at the same time added a gramma since I have a cherub angel and wanted to use the oppertunity to rearrange the rocks so they both would have to restake territory.But this all occured about aweek after the featherduster lost his feathers. Like I said I still have had not unusual water tests results. But he is alive adn kicking in there prety strong so I have left him be to do what ever it is he does behind the scenes.

[Satchmo]

I'm digging this "quik reply" thing at the bottom of the page. Becky, do you run the poly pads on a continual basis? This may be taking out all the little bits that the feather would otherwise eat. Take this at face value, it's my opinion, not doctrine: But you always hear about people having trouble keeping fanworms, espacially in smaller systems. I've had my duster as long as I've had my tank and he's thriving. He's doubled in size, and has never decapitated himself. I attribute this to my use of no mechanical filtration. Any time I look at my duster, I can actually see little bits of whatever being moved down the feathers towards his mouth. I do run floss occasionally to polish the water, but for the most part, my system is au natural. Like I said, take it at face value. I haven't kept a duster in a tank with heavy mech. filtration so I really have no grounds for comparison. But what I would do is yank the pads and see what happens. I'm from the School of No Floss for nanos, so long as you have an effecient and diverse crew of detrivores and don't lax on maintenance.

[Squishie]

I may try that. I have been running them continously for about a month and a half or so. Mainly because I had way to high a PO4 level. so it is in there surronding my phosgaurd. and holding it in place but hte main reason I have a HOB is for circulation. and if serves a a measure for how far to fill my tank and how much I need to top off. But I will try removing the polypad. and see what happens. My purple duster and my flame scallop are both doing well. I have been told that the scallops gernerally dont do that well but mind seems to be quite happy and has even grown some.Some times I wonder if he didn't just get cranky because everytime he jumps back into his tube he would fall flat of his face cause he is an off shape tube and wont bury in the sand.

Needless to say I will remove the poly pad adn all tonight. and see what happens.

Thanks everyone for your input

[Squishie]

He came back. But he is very small and only come out at night.

I did remove the poly pad from the tank. It was about time for a new one any ways. I'll see how things go now. The only thing now that I took out the poly pad is my snails are staying in the HOB, They have always gone up there to graze now the drop back into the HOB and just sort of stay there.