Feather Duster Question

[OUBrook]

I have a couple feather dusters in my seahorse tank that I've had for quite awhile, and they've looked great. Well today when I looked at my tank, it's like someone took the feathers, clumped them at the bottom (normally inside the tube), and cut them out. They were clumped together and sitting in my rockwork. Is that worm dead? Or will it grow new feathers? It's not a huge deal, but I am curious what's going on...

 

[pwhitby]

it should grow new heads, they sometimes do that if disturbed or distressed for a reason.

 

[OUBrook]

Hmm.. Well I have an urchin that bulldozes everything in my tank. Quite annoying really. So it could have plowed over them. But the fallen feather part is dead, right? I can take that out of my tank?

 

[pwhitby]

yes, its dead.

 

[OUBrook]

BTW Paul, I was just looking at the avatars I could put up for me... There was a little seahorse that I thought would work for me, but was a little too anime and just didn't suit. ANYWAY, I saw a smiley face with a face mask and a snorkel on and yeah, I thought of you. It actually screamed "Paul!" at me. They must have been thinkin of you when they made it... Just thought you should know- you're famous

 

[papagimp]

Paul, I was under the impression that the feather crowns can regrow after they fall off, as in a type of cloning or reproduction. have I been mislead again?
(just got me a new feather duster a couple days ago, and a bonus, he's already got two worms in the one tube. lucky me.)

 

[captbunzo]

Are you SURE there are 2 worms in that one tube? Many FD have sort of a double crown (inside and outside frills on the crown). Are you sure that isn't what you are seeing?

If this is 2 crowns worms, then way cool!!!

And brook - that's funny - I am glad I am not the only one with a random mind...

 

[papagimp]

yeah, it's two worms, my last fd did this same thing, only they both jumped ship after splitting, these guys are hanging out together. The frills aren't inside/outside, their more like left/right side.

 

[OUBrook]

So should I maybe leave the clump of feathers in there? I haven't taken it out yet...

 

[dugg]

From my experience with feather dusters, when the head pops off, there is a water issue, or they are starving. Feather dusters really benefit from adding food like micro-vert for fine filter feeders. First though i would be checking my water params. They are pretty good indicators of trouble on the way. Also, if the worm does jump out of the tube, don't reach in and get it with your hands. I have never been stung, but have been told that they can give you a nasty sting if out of thier tube.

 

[captbunzo]

I agree with Dugg pretty much, except I prefer live micro-planton, such as DT's oyster eggs or DT's phytoplankton.

 

[papagimp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8412648#post8412648 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dugg
Also, if the worm does jump out of the tube, don't reach in and get it with your hands. I have never been stung, but have been told that they can give you a nasty sting if out of thier tube.

Really? My first FD came in on a rock with an anemone, I didn't realize I had a FD and tried to pull off that nasty looking tube on the rock, he jumped out of the tube and i immediatly picked it up to see what it was, i actually handled him quit a bit and he never so much as gave me a dirty look. Course I've never been stung by anything in my tank and lord knows everyones had more than their share of opportunity. Maybe I'm immune?
I've been feeding my new guy my nannochloris that I've been culturing. Seems to like it, he comes out and opens up really wide when I dose the tank.

 

[captbunzo]

I think that sensitivity to the stings from tank critters is one of those things that varies so much from person to person. I have never noticed anything with my tank, either.

On the other hand, you have to watch out as some stings that have never bothered you can become serious oneday. You might get anemone stung 100x before your body decides to react and put you into anaphylactic shock....

 

[papagimp]

eeewww, "anaphylactic shock", sounds nasty, maybe I should stop petting my frogspawns uh? (j/k)

 

[captbunzo]

Yep, and make sure to never eat your zoanthids. They are horribly poisonous...

 

[dugg]

The only thing i have ever been stung by was fuzzy mushrooms. I have scars on my forarms from those things.

I don't remember where i heard about them having the ability to sting, but i always try and remember thing like that lol.

I actually know a person that was in the hospital for over 6 months, and bed ridin for a year over something he touched in his reef. They never did figure out what had happened, but he had complete liver failure due to some type of toxins he got on him from his reef. Atleast that was his doctors best guess at it anyway.

 

[OUBrook]

Anybody want any feather dusters?


Haha, just kidding..... I think..