Feather duster molting?

wilkerschnepf · 08/23/2009, 01:31 AM

Has anyone ever had a feather duster loose its feathers?

I thought mine had kicked the bucket when i saw my cleaner shrimp going to town on my feather duster. But about two days later now i just saw the tube move and out popped the worm, minus the feathers.

Thanks for any input.

Cheers,
John

Flipper62 · 08/23/2009, 02:00 AM

Thats not good.

Feather dusters dont molt. There are times that a feather or Coco worm will tuck in & rejuvenate..then come out in 2 to 3 weeks later.

If the worm came totaly out of the tube & is moving.....Its not going to be long.

goochesfish · 08/23/2009, 03:29 AM

feather dusters a hard to feed without fouling the water. It'll lose the crown but subsequent crowns will be much smaller and then it will die of starvation.

BuddhaKiss · 08/23/2009, 03:45 AM

Well, I can only tell you about my own experience when I first got a feather duster. I had one for a few weeks when it retracted its crown of feathers and didn't come back out. At the time, I thought it had died, so I tugged on the casing to toss it. I pulled and pulled until the casing finally slipped off...and lo and behold, there was the worm, in all its creepiness. I just left the worm alone as it was still attached to the rock I had it on, and in time, it built another casing. BTW, the reason why it retracted was b/c it was regrowing a new crown, supposedly, b/c it wasn't getting enough nutrition...since then I've sometimes dose my tank with phyto.

ludnix · 08/23/2009, 04:02 AM

When feather dusters spawn they will also drop their crown, in addition to poor water quality and rapid changes in chemistry.The crown should regrow in a couple weeks.

I've had 2 Hawaiian feather dusters for 2 years now. In my first tank they appeared to have a spawning event and both dropped their crowns. They regrew them with about a week and they gradually grew larger.

I would put the worm back in a rock somewhere so it can re-attach and grow a new casing.

wilkerschnepf · 08/23/2009, 11:53 AM

Thanks for all the info! This morning he stuck his head out of the tube again, and i can see some very small feathers starting to form. It is a 12g nano, and i feed frozen brine/ mysis for the fish and zooplankton and fish snow for the corals. Anything else you can suggest for the feather duster? I hate to be starving on of my little friends.

danreefman · 08/23/2009, 01:42 PM

The feathers will regrow. Sometimes fish pick at them or high current will rip them off. I like to keep them near the bottom of the tank. They filter feed so they should like it there.

08/23/2009, 01:31 AM	#1
wilkerschnepf Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 121	Feather duster molting? Has anyone ever had a feather duster loose its feathers? I thought mine had kicked the bucket when i saw my cleaner shrimp going to town on my feather duster. But about two days later now i just saw the tube move and out popped the worm, minus the feathers. Thanks for any input. Cheers, John

08/23/2009, 02:00 AM	#2
Flipper62 Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Naperville, Il. Business Owner, President & CEO Posts: 3,045	Thats not good. Feather dusters dont molt. There are times that a feather or Coco worm will tuck in & rejuvenate..then come out in 2 to 3 weeks later. If the worm came totaly out of the tube & is moving.....Its not going to be long. __________________ If todays automobile had followed the same development as the computer, A Rolls Royce would cost $100.00. It would get a million miles per gallon, but it would explode once a year killing everyone inside." Current Tanks... 90 gal Reef... My awesome Office BioCube....( 180 was on hold ..no time ) ... The 180 gal has been sold...Yay..yay..yay. Hobby Experience: 19 years Reef...22 years FW

08/23/2009, 03:29 AM	#3
goochesfish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,305	feather dusters a hard to feed without fouling the water. It'll lose the crown but subsequent crowns will be much smaller and then it will die of starvation. __________________ The Gooch, my Beagle, may she RIP 1995-2011 Current Tank Info: 150 gallon Starfire set up July 22,09, 30g QT

08/23/2009, 04:02 AM	#5
ludnix Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: California Posts: 3,031	When feather dusters spawn they will also drop their crown, in addition to poor water quality and rapid changes in chemistry.The crown should regrow in a couple weeks. I've had 2 Hawaiian feather dusters for 2 years now. In my first tank they appeared to have a spawning event and both dropped their crowns. They regrew them with about a week and they gradually grew larger. I would put the worm back in a rock somewhere so it can re-attach and grow a new casing. __________________ -Eric Sutter Current Tank Info: 14g Biocube

08/23/2009, 03:45 AM	#4
BuddhaKiss Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Northern Va Posts: 1,068	Well, I can only tell you about my own experience when I first got a feather duster. I had one for a few weeks when it retracted its crown of feathers and didn't come back out. At the time, I thought it had died, so I tugged on the casing to toss it. I pulled and pulled until the casing finally slipped off...and lo and behold, there was the worm, in all its creepiness. I just left the worm alone as it was still attached to the rock I had it on, and in time, it built another casing. BTW, the reason why it retracted was b/c it was regrowing a new crown, supposedly, b/c it wasn't getting enough nutrition...since then I've sometimes dose my tank with phyto.

08/23/2009, 11:53 AM	#6
wilkerschnepf Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 121	Thanks for all the info! This morning he stuck his head out of the tube again, and i can see some very small feathers starting to form. It is a 12g nano, and i feed frozen brine/ mysis for the fish and zooplankton and fish snow for the corals. Anything else you can suggest for the feather duster? I hate to be starving on of my little friends.

08/23/2009, 01:42 PM	#7
danreefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: northern california Posts: 796	The feathers will regrow. Sometimes fish pick at them or high current will rip them off. I like to keep them near the bottom of the tank. They filter feed so they should like it there.