My feather duster is freaking out!

[wrassecal]

I have a hawaiian feather duster. It moved into a cave in the bottom of a rock, but left the tube outside. My husband thought it was dead, so he took the tube out and cut it open to see that nothing was in there. Then I could see the feather cap at the mouth of the cave, so then the feather cap was just laying on the bottom, but I checked with my flashlight and the worm part is building a new tube in the cave and will stick out of it a little and go back in. Then the feather part that came off backed into another little cave in another rock so what's going on there? and now I found another piece of the feather crown laying on the bottom in the back of the tank but I don't know if it will move anywhere else or not. Questions are do feather dusters reproduce and/or split like this? Could I be going to have 2 or even 3 of them? Can the feather crown create another worm? <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />

 

[@]

i am not totally sure on this but have been told. dusters use sperm and eggs to reproduce?

 

[ruaround]

DAB,
My FD did the same freakin thing tonight!!! Ive been searchin all over to find out what the heck is goin on!!! <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" /> too

 

[wrassecal]

well now the third piece of feather crown seems to have backed up to another piece of rock. I don't know what's going on but it sure is interesting. I originally bought 2 of them and they were stuck together, but seperated and the other is not doing anything wierd. Probably my other fish and crabs are just messin with my head, but that one piece in the cave is definately a worm building a new tube. Runaround check all your little caves with a flashlight, that's how I found mine.

 

[shootonsite]

When feather dusters are threatened or dislike their position in the tank, they will sometimes release their crown and leave their tube in search of a better spot. That's why you're finding the feathers in different areas. Often times, the survival rate is low when the worms are exposed in this manner. If tank conditions are good and no predators exist (large fish, brittle stars) The worm will find a suitable spot and build its tube again. The crown will take time to regrow.

 

[maui]

Mine ditched it's crown and relocated. I was a bit worried at first but then it regrew it's crown in a little over a week. I don't know about the reproducing.

 

[von_rahvin]

when the worms are unhappy they lose teir "heads" mine got rid of his about a week ago but now it is growing back fine and happy. I have also heard that they sometimes do it as part of the reproductive cycle.

 

[wrassecal]

Well the original worm is definately alive and making a new tube, I can see that in the cave with a flashlight.....but I do have a brittle star and I better keep the worm safe from it somehow.

 

[wrassecal]

what do they make their new tubes out of? My brittle star just crawled in the cave with the feather duster worm that is making a new tube so I turned the rock on it's side so hopefully the brittle star will look for a darker spot now. found several bristle worms too....hmm interesting stuff going on in there. <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />

 

[wrassecal]

Well I'm having a conversation with myself now I guess. Tonight I was looking at the opening in the cave where the worm is making a new tube (I turned it back to the bottom) and the worm keeps hanging out like an inch and it looks kind of like a purplish brownish tongue. Pretty weird. I think it's picking up sand to make it's new tube.
Anyone know anything about this?

 

[susiepan]

Supposedly, they use "worm spit" and sand to make the new tube...mmmmmmmmmmm sounds yummy
~Susie

 

[wrassecal]

That makes sense so while it's hanging out there like Mick Jaggers tongue it's probably picking up sand particles. It's getting really cool to be able to watch this process.