My feather duster commited suicide

[newbie-to-reef]

My feather duster looked as if it had been nibbled on this afternoon and now it is laying on the sand bed coiled. It is still moving. What is the deal? And does anyone know why my hermit crabs keep eating my snails? This is getting kind of expensive.

 

[talon4x4]

Re: My feather duster commited suicide

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12982569#post12982569 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newbie-to-reef
My feather duster looked as if it had been nibbled on this afternoon and now it is laying on the sand bed coiled. It is still moving. What is the deal? And does anyone know why my hermit crabs keep eating my snails? This is getting kind of expensive.

If a hermit crab sees a shell it likes or even thinks it might like, you end up with a dead snail. The best is when it kills the snail and then decides it doesn't even like the shell.

If nothing kills the feather duster it will regrow a new outer shell.

 

[newbie-to-reef]

Talon,
The snails are huge compared to the hermits. Does every kind of hermit do this? Should I put something over the feather duster to protect it or should I just leave it there?

 

[Playa-1]

Many time the crabs are outgrowing their shells and just looking for a bigger shell. If you can put a variety of shell sizes in the tank for the crabs to move into as they grow then they should be less likely to attack your snails.
The feather duster sounds like a sitting duck so It would be wise IMO to provide it with some protection in the mean time.

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12982624#post12982624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newbie-to-reef
Talon,
The snails are huge compared to the hermits. Does every kind of hermit do this? Should I put something over the feather duster to protect it or should I just leave it there?

That is the reason I don't put hermits in my tank even with extra shells they still will prob. kill your snails but the chances do improve some.

 

[Flipper62]

Not sure about the Feather dusters... Feather dusters are in a calcium tube......How is it coiled up in the sand ??? it realy just stays where you put it. Maybe a snail bumped it & knocked it over........BUT.......Feather Dusters DONT move

 

[Flipper62]

Oh...Ya..... Its best to get a few empty larger shells from your LFS...If the snails grow....& they will..They will KILL other snails for their shell.

However...IF you add a few empty shells in to the tank, They will HIJACK them insted......& all will be good....:dance::dance:

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12983410#post12983410 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flipper62
Oh...Ya..... Its best to get a few empty larger shells from your LFS...If the snails grow....& they will..They will KILL other snails for their shell.

However...IF you add a few empty shells in to the tank, They will HIJACK them insted......& all will be good....:dance::dance:

snail shells grow with the snail, they don't switch shells.

 

[dartmti]

Do you have any pics of the feather duster without it's shell? I'd love to see what it looks like...

 

[RicksReefs]

algae eating snails cannot kill other snails.
snails do not switch shells.
common store bought dusters of the family Sabellidae, can and will leave their non-calcerous sand and spit tubes for better pastures. blast your rocks of detritus to provide the materials for the worm to form a new tube faster and it may be fine.

 

[Allanira]

Hermits will kill snails for their shells just cause they want to try the shell on also. Go look at Schwe's thread here in New to Hobby. She has a video of 3 hermits fighting over a snails shell that one had killed. Also if you only have 2 or 3 hermits in the tank it helps out on the killing. IME it keeps them from being so aggresive. I have 2 red legs and they havent gone after anyone shells. I also have about 100 extra shells in the tank for them to see which one they want. I only have 5 turbo snails and 1 mystery snail in there right now. It came in on the LR. Good luck.

 

[Robin764]

My feather duster moved himself. I stuck him in the sand near some rock, he must not have liked it. It was really interesting to see in a matter of hours he had made a tube with direct access to the nearest rock, and attached himself there.

You can see his old tube hanging off to the left in this photo.
His new tube is connected to the rock.

 

[Playa-1]

I had a feather duster move a while back and havn't seen him since. I'm starting to think he became a snack.