Feather Duster

[9supratt4]

So I bought a feather duster on Saturday and put it in my tank and everything seemed perfect. It was going in and out of its tube like normal.
Then today, Tuesday, I did a 10 gallon water change and it seemed to be fine, but I looked into the tank a while after lights out and the feathers were all on the other side of the tank.
Now I know it can drop it's feathers and regrow them and that it can move locations, But do you think it was due to the water change that it dropped it's feathers and if so, why? I don't want it to happen every time I change my water.
Also I saw all this stringy, web looking stuff floating in the tank and on rocks. Is this something the feather duster did or something else?
Any help is good because I have not been able to find much information on feather dusters.

 

[texasmetal]

Stress is the usual suspect when dusters drop their feathery appendages. You may have startled it when you dumped water in. It should be fine unless there was a significant shift in water parameters.
Many corals give off a slimey substance that can look stringy. I'd also look for vermetid snails. They cast a "web" into the water column to catch particles.

 

[lovethemfish]

Dont worry, your feather duster will grow his feathers back. I put 3 new ones in my tank a few months ago and 2 of them dropped their feathers. it took a few weeks, but they are back full grown now.

 

[9supratt4]

The feather duster is growing back its feathers but it keeps moving around the tank. I'm not sure if it is moving itself or a fish is moving it.
Am I supposed to bury it in the sand or just lay it on top?

 

[alyssia]

I stick mine between the crevices in the rocks. They seem happy there.

 

[lovethemfish]

FD;s dont move themselves. You need to firmly put it into the sand or ints some rocks so it wont be moved by the current.