Feather Duster

[texasranchers]

Could someone please tell me why my Feather Duster is out of it's tube so far?

[LironB]

If they are disturbed, they will sometimes abandon their current shell, move to a new spot, and form a new one. However, if he's been out like that for a while without going anywhere, I don't know.

[texasranchers]

I didn't know or I have forgotten they do this. It started doing this this morning. What will it make new tube with?
Do I need to add or delete anything or let CB Mother Nature take its course? We have had this one about two
weeks now. It is housed with scarlett crabs, yellow tang, maroon clown, blue velvet, yellow tail damsel, blue
leg crabs, LR,LS, a few corals, leathers.

[Sherri]

Mine came completely out a couple of weeks ago and a crab got him. Had him for almost a year with no prob...then he came out. Don't know why.

[texasranchers]

I moved the direction of the PH in case it was too much for it. I also moved a plate coral that manged to be scooted
right up by it. We have another intermidiate tank for corals, sort of, I may just move it to that one. Another sleepless
night. I love this hobby.

[Instar]

Generally they stay in the tube. Its their safe haven. They can move that tube wherever they want to go. Things that will cause
them to loose their ability to protect themselves and come out too far are osmotic shock, toxic shock, toxic buildup in their tissues or,
in a very clean, filtered system, starvation. This, unless there are no predators, is nearly always a dance with death. It is a worm, so it
can recover if water and plankton are good and there are no predators. But, as Sherri pointed out, the crabs will likely get it and then
the blue velvet damsel will help them out. Soon it will be feast time. I have 4 of them in with copperbands and they got bothered a lot at first
They just moved their tube to a better spot and became more nocturnal.

[texasranchers]

Thank you all for your insight. This is the first one that has acted this way. As of today, it is still 'hanging' around but lost its head.
Strange little creatures. TR

[Instar]

Some stimuli cause them to shed their feather. They grow new ones.