my tubeless tube-worm

[Captain Jack]

So, I have a feather duster worm outside his tube, and I'm wondering if there are additional steps I should take to help it.

Long story short, it was pulled out of the sand and attacked by a peppermint shrimp. I put it in the refugium (still inside what was left of tube). And after a couple days, it left the tube entirely, and has no crown. I figure it has a small chance of rebuilding a tube, so i've left it alone. The refugium gets daily live phyto.

Let me know if you have additional suggestions.

p.s. i've love my large hawiian feather duster, which has done great. This was my second attempt at getting a smaller but more colorful (non-brown) feather duster. The first attempt never showed crown or other life signs after it went from the store tank into the bag. And if this second attempt fails, i'll probably not try another one (at least while i have peppermint shrimp which do great with any aptasia).

[caferacermike]

It will generally be fine. After a few days it will coat itself with sand and begin building a proper tube. I've had good luck with finding a long deep recess or hole in rock work that I could put them in. After a few days they would begin poking out of the hole with a new tube.

[texmex]

So how is that fd doing now was curious how it turned out?

[Captain Jack]

dead :( so i bought a jumbo feather duster. I seem to have better luck with the large (papyrus-type) tubes over the small (sand-type) tubes. And since they generally run t the same price i think i'll stick with them for now, it's just harder to find a variety of colors.

[Captain Jack]

Now, if i ever see a nice hard-tube worm, like coco-worm, selling for $20ish instead of $60ish, i'd probably go for it.

[caferacermike]

Um coco worms are selling for $25 almost everywhere right now. In fact I left SA last week with 2 of them for that price.


However please understand I've never seen any last longer than a couple of months. I keep hoping they will.

[Captain Jack]

The hard tubed worms I've seen now and then at Texas Tropical are in the $60 range, including the one I saw yesterday. Maybe I'm checking the wrong places; but anyway I will need to hold off a few months before buying another worm to make sure they all are eating plenty. I think my tank in especially nutrient rich, so the jumbo feather duster I have had has been growing and thriving; looks huge in my 30 gal.

[caferacermike]

I got them at B&B, probably the finest shop in SA. Aqua Dome in ATX is stocked with about 20 of them at that price. They were telling me that the wholesale price has crashed since earlier this year when shops were asking $50. $60 is always to much. Says to me that wherever you are shopping, they are overcharging you for everything.