Feather Duster Behavior

[carver]

I have had a feather duster for about two weeks. Yesterday it spent the day migrating from it's tube. When nearly totally out it shed it's gills and retreated back into it's tube. A few minutes later it came completely out of the tube. This morning it is lying curled up next to the reef. It is still alive and shows some motion. Is this a normal process for dusters or is this a dying animal??

 

[jdeets]

Welcome to the board! Your featherduster doesn't sound well. Sometimes when they are under stress, they will shed their crown, but rarely will they leave their tubes. I'd leave it alone and see if it survives. If it comes around, it will make another tube on its own. Good luck.

 

[hgsports]

Interesting. Yesterday mine lost all it's "feathers". Is that what you are calling the crown?

It's still in it's tube and seems to stick it's head in and out a lot.

Two days ago, I caught my serpent star with a leg down the feather's tube. I'm guessing he tried to eat the feather. Cant find any of the lost feathers in the tank though...

John

 

[jdeets]

Yes, john--that's what I mean when I say sometimes they lose their crown. Loss of the crown is thought to occur in two circumstances--if they are stressed out (which could have happened from the serpent star), or sometimes when they spawn (so that they don't filter their own reproducive material out of the water).

The crown will grow back over a period of a few months.