Feather duster in trouble!

[l brodie]

Something has appearently nibbled a hole in the tube of my large Hawiain feather duster. I can now see the worm (pretty cool to see it when it extends and retracts). Now that he is exposed he is an easy target! Is there anything I can do to help him? Will he be able to fix that hole? Should I cover whats left of the tube with sand? Please send your ideas, Thanks!

 

[l brodie]

Has anyone else had this problem???

 

[jacklax]

They actually build the casing...so he'll be able to patch it pretty easy. What else do you have in the tank?

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Jacklax
They actually build the casing...so he'll be able to patch it pretty easy. What else do you have in the tank?

Yes, he will rebuild his tube.

 

[l brodie]

I have hermit crabs,snails, a yellow-tail damsel, a bicolored dottyback,an Eibl's angel,a pair of clowns, a brittle starfish, a cleaner shrimp, and a couple of soft corals. They have all been in there since January. I'm a newbie.

 

[jacklax]

Hmmm...the Angel could be the culprit. They've been known to pick at inverts from time to time. How about the hermits...have they shown any hostile type behaviour in the past? How big are they?

 

[alyssia]

I have an angel and it dosen't pick at my duster. My tang does though.

 

[jacklax]

My Coral Beauty has taken a couple "taste tests" from my dusters...but no damage has resulted. I am keeping a close eye...

 

[alyssia]

I didn't know that angels can pick at inverts. I will have to watch that from now on. Something is stressing my feather dusters, that's for sure.

 

[jacklax]

Yeah...a lot of the species descriptions will recommend being cautious with the dwarf angels and some inverts. I think it depends on the personality/preferences of the individual fish, but some have had there issues.

 

[l brodie]

Thanks, I have seen the hermit crabs nibbling on the tubes, but I thought they were just cleaning! Like I said, I still have so much to learn.

 

[jacklax]

Hermits can be a bit much sometimes. Do they have enough food elsewhere?