Feather Duster Not Opening

[AndyS]

Hi

I purchased a feather duster worm this morning, acimatised it as usual, but i have not seen the crown of the worm, not even when it was in the bag, or at the store (though i was assured by the LFS it was fine)

There is still no sign of the crown, and at the back of the worm a part of the "tubing" is torn and a section of what looks like the worm is exposed (it looks like the leg of a starfish). Ill try and get some pics up later.

Should i be worried? Is the worm probably dead and will it cause any problems being in the tank, how can i tell if its dead?

Tank params are (as of this morning)

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10ppm
temp - 80

Any responses are greatly appreciated, thanks

Andy

 

[SkiFletch]

Featherdusters typically do not harm a tank in a "nuking" sense if they do die, so I wouldn't be concerned about that. Its possible it jumped out of its hole? Featherdusters can be picky and tough to take care of though. Hope it pulls through.

 

[AndyS]

Thanks for the reply Ski

Sadly just as i read your reply i saw the worm was beginning to seep things into the water, tried to get him out in time but he broke in half, releasing lots of worm debris into the tank.

Have just done a 20% water change and added a small sponge to the back to try and clear things up, fingers crossed the tank doesnt crash.

Andy

 

[SkiFletch]

Dont worry Andy, FD's rarely cause tank crashes in any tanks of decent volume (20gal+). Your experience is sadly not un-common as featherdusters typically starve in LFS tanks and reach your house in dire straits. The resulting acclimation regardless of how slow usually stresses the animal to death . As pretty as they are they have low survivability in home aquariums

 

[Matty P]

sorry about your loss

 

[Danno]

Think of it this way, if it was within 24 hours you get your money back

 

[Matty P]

What are your calcium and magnesium levels?

Matt