Feather Duster Ejecting...What to Do??

[tliss]

Hey all! I've got a new issue that I may need some help with. I've seen several posts on here saying feather dusters jumping ship can be a good thing or it could be a bad thing, and I do not know which way to look at it right now. The issue I have is protecting him once he parachutes out. I have had one do the same thing, but he was not very safe, as my sally lightfoot crab discovered him and disposed of him through his digestive system. I don't want the same thing to happen to this one. I have moved him to a different part of the tank, but I know he is going to take a jump soon regardless and I would like to protect him from my sally and hermits. How can I protect him, short of putting him into another tank? Maybe put him in a breeder set up until he grows his tube again? Thoughts?
Thanks,
Tom

 

[puffer32]

Mine threw his crown, but stayed in his tube, grew a new crown in afew weeks, are you sure yours is out completely or is it just his crown?

 

[tliss]

Originally Posted by puffer32
Mine threw his crown, but stayed in his tube, grew a new crown in afew weeks, are you sure yours is out completely or is it just his crown?
It's hanging, crown and all, about half way out of it's tube. When I went in to move him he did not even try to go back into his tube. I'm pretty sure he's jumping ship!
Tom

 

[puffer32]

Yeah, sounds like it, not sure what you can do about it either

 

[snipe]

Place him in a more flow of an area he might change his mind. The reasons for leaving is there isnt enough flow "they like medium flow" that is how they get food. And other animals bothering them but they take alot of that if nothings bothering him then its the food issue.

 

[tliss]

Well, he ejected overnight and became crab food

. Damn, those crabs eat good...first a $15 clown fish, now a $12 feather duster...must be nice to live in my tank...
Tom

 

[snipe]

Mine ejected before and my crabs never touched him he laid in the front of the tank on the sand all day long and nothing bothered him "there related to bristle worms and some can sting like the bristle worm, they also look just like them if the fethers arent on them". Any hoo he finnaly crawled off and I havent seen him since "he went to the back of the tank".

 

[tliss]

Who knows? He definitely wasn't anywhere near his tube this morning, that is for sure. I found his crown on the other side of the tank and his carcas was nowhere to be found. Either he managed to crawl to safety somewhere or the sally took care of him like he did the other feather duster I had.
You know, I'm beginning to think my sally is a problem...well, at least he's doing his job and taking care of the things it thinks are dead in the tank. I think the sally's a little confused...how do I teach him the difference between thing I want him to eat and things I want him to leave alone? Maybe someday he'll try to get at something that will sting the living hell out of him one day and he'll learn his lesson... :hilarious
Tom

 

[puffer32]

How do you know he is not back in his tube? I thought mine was a goner also after he tossed his crown, but he was in the tube and i didn't know that until weeks later when the tube grew another crown.

 

[tliss]

Originally Posted by puffer32
How do you know he is not back in his tube? I thought mine was a goner also after he tossed his crown, but he was in the tube and i didn't know that until weeks later when the tube grew another crown.
I looked through the tube and it was hollow...he's in the tank somewhere, either hiding in a hole in the rock or he's in the process of being digested, but he is not in his tube...
Tom

 

[snipe]

My sally is the same way. If its slow moving and its weak its food. I had a small pep shrimp about a inch long or alittle under and it was moving really slow I think it was gonna molt because it was moving just slowly he did this during the day so I helped him hide but my sally found him he was gone in no time.