Questions about feather dusters

crt81

Member
I have one pink feather but I just picked up 2 more a little while ago.
So my question is this- Are you suppose to burry the tubes or should you just drop them in and they will burrow for themselves?
I forgot to ask my fish store once again! I just burried these in the sand and I did the same for the other. Is burrying them manually bad or good?
, Or have I just made a bad mistake?
 

dmitry

Member
It's best to place the tube somewhere between rocks into the sand. Don't worry about burrying them - the worm will do what's necessary for itself. It will readjust if it isn't happy.
 

crt81

Member
So I have I hurt it? Some of the worm did come out alittle (the feather part was already out & I know seeing that was normal, but the flesh of the worm came out some when I was burrying it in the sand)
So what you're saying is that it's better to position it between something? Also the tube is very long it will be able to fully cover itself?
 

dmitry

Member
Which part of what I wrote suggested that I thought you hurt it? Don't worry about it. Unless you smashed it or something you didn't hurt anything. Just let it be. I think they're happier in the sand near a rock.
 

crt81

Member
Big Problem!!!!!!!
I went off (maybe an hour) and I came back and I found my cleaner shrimp picking away at the worm! The worm itself was already sticking out. So some of the flesh has been eaten away. The duster's feathers are still extended as of now. Is it going to make it, if a part of its body has a hole in it now?
 

reefkprz

Active Member
most likley its not his actual body but his tube the shrimp is eating, the feather duster can repair the tube. the cleaner is not going to hurt the feather duster, but if it dies he will eat it.
manually burrying feather dusters is fine as long as you dont crush the tube. I have done ith with every one I have owned, they usually resituate themselves to get comfortabl;e then attach to the nearest rock or glass under the sand, be carefull if you decide to relocate them as they may be attached.
 

dmitry

Member
Cleaner shrimp aren't known to eat things that are living, so it won't harm the worm if it's alive. Are you sure it was eating the tube and not cleaning it?
 

crt81

Member
Sad Day!
Well shortly after the replies yesterday I have bad news- It's a goner!

Well my cleaner pulled the worm out of its tube and when I saw it it wasn't moving. It had been torn in half!
So now I only have 2 dusters. (I just felt sorry for the worm b/c he was eaten alive)!
 

dmitry

Member
I'm not sure that the worm was eaten alive. Again, cleaner (skunk) shrimp are not killers, they're scavengers.
 

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dmitry
I'm not sure that the worm was eaten alive. Again, cleaner (skunk) shrimp are not killers, they're scavengers.
I agree.
I serious;y dubt that the cleaner actually killed the duster. there are several more likly culprits, like acclimation shock (even if one survived the same acclimation the other may not), or disease (that it came with), and more.
 
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