Is a feather duster dead if it looses its tenticals?
The worm part is still in good shape.
Please give feedback.
[ November 06, 2001: Message edited by: bceer ]
They can loose them to stress and take even a couple months to grow them and come out, what you need to do is feel the worm part, if you can feel it moving in there, it is ok
The same thing happened to me.When I went to throw out the worm I felt the tube contract.It should feel firm and fell like it is contracting.The feather takes awhile to grow back.
My feather duster did the same thing, it hid for about a week and a half then one afternoon I saw it out again. It doesn't come out in full light, only with the actinics.
I have three, and at some point each one had shed it's head. But like 2 weeks later, magically they have new feathers, only about the quater of the size of the old ones, but they grow and become fuller and longer. Don't worry I am sure it is fine.
I had a yellow tang eat up all my feather dusters I had at one point. My yellow is gone now, but I have a regal tang, a sailfin, a percs, many scarlet hermits, 2 urchins and and couple of emerald crabs. Will any of these mess with a large feather duster? I have several tiny ones through out the rock, but I really miss the large ones. I'm afraid to get them again incase the hermits or fish eat them.
The only crab that ever messed with the feather dusters was my Decorator Crab. When I first put him he took all the feather crowns off and was wearing them. I guess he wanted to look like a feather duster. Now he is wearing baby anemone's and micro-algae.
Hipe this helps
Shel