Feather duster worm has shed its tube and gone wandering

[velvetelvis]

I have a yellow feather duster worm (not sure of the species, but I think it's a Sabellidae) that has been doing very well for several months. I feed the tank with liquid phytoplankton every day or two. Until very recently, it was affixed to one of the live rocks, but it had apparently vacated its old tube and started to build a new one...which I didn't realize until I accidentally knocked it out of the fragile new tube while cleaning the tank last night. (I thought the tube was detritus and picked it up--the worm slipped right out.)

The worm seems OK--still has its "feathers" out--but now it's on the move, wandering slowly away from its original spot. I'm worried, because I had another feather duster that did this for a few weeks and then eventually died. Is there anything I can do, or should I just wait and watch?

 

[LeslieH]

Might just be it's time. They don't seem to live longer than a couple of years and who knows how old it was before you got it. If there are no potential predators in your tank just watch & wait. If there are, you could move the worm & a small chunk of rock to another tank to give it a safe spot to re-attach.

 

[str1988]

I've had them drop the "feathers" and then grow back. Other times I never see them again. I would leave it alone since yours sounds like it just doesnt like its spot. Maybe the flow of water has changed or something else that is not easily seen. Many times mine lie the substrate better than rock.