Feather Duster lost its Feathers ???

I have 3 feather dusters and one of them seem to have lost all of its feathers (there is a little bit left but looks like something has eaten it !!!)

Is this a normal thing or has my fish or shrimp eaten it !!!

I have 2 percula clowns, 1 yellow wrasse and 1 peppermint shrimp and a couple of snails.

Thanks for any info !!!

 

That's pretty normal. Dusters can be sensitive and when they are stressed they bail.

 

Hi Mark,
Yeah thats normal. I had the same thing happen!And I thought for certain the the duster had died! It was really a long time before it got a new plume.But eventually one day it was back, and it still there today. Odd thought though! It is one of a few dusters in the tank and it only comes out after the lights go out?
Hope that helps?
D.

 

Thank you Matt and David for your responses.

I was only worried because it looked as if the feathers were eaten - although it could have been caused by stress - which is why it had no more feathers.

I also wanted to know if there might be a predator or a critter-predator that might have done the damage - but I doubt it as 2 are still alive and well.

I will just leave em and let them come back when they want to. The thought of a dead feather duster in my tank and the dead worm in it gave thoughts to a possible ammonia spike in my tank.

Thank you both for your re-assurances !!

 

i had 2 dusters so far the first popped its feathers and i never saw it again the other moved but took its feathers with it. its just when it moved it went behind the rock and cant see it as good i liked it better in the front of the tank but he didnt.

i have tons of little ones though and every now and then i see a feather floatin around but i think there just on the move

 

My feather duster lost it's plume 3 days after putting it in the tank. I found comfort in seeing that it was still alive and moving inside its tube. A few days after that I noticed that my emerald crab was munching on the furthest back part of its tube, we scared the crab off (not sure if it was a good thing or not). Last night I go for a drink of water after lights out, and the worm was hanging outside of the tube, almost completely. In the morning, the tube had fallen over and was on it's side in the direction the worm was hanging the night before. I wasn't able to see the actual worm this morning. Question: Dead, moving, sick, what?

Tankmates include: Emerald crab, yellow tail damsel, blue green chromis, and 2 turbo snails.

 

A feather duster loosing its plume in a Reef tank is generally due to a change in salinity. You said it was new to the tank so its a possibility that your tank may be a change in the salinity that it was used to. The Emerald crab i wouldnt worry about they dine on the hair algae and there may have been a collection of it at the base or the worm. If your wondering if its dead or not gently squeze the base of the worm if its alive you will feel it contract slightly as if in defense, if its mushy time to get it out its dead. Feather dusters will also snap its plume off when attacked by predators so it will think its dead. If you notice that your other dusters are pulling out of thier tubes then you need to increase oxygen they will begin to leave the tubes if oxygen levels are low and or temperature is to high.

Hope it helps