Sabellid Fan worm lost it's top....what can I do???

[Lorraine Vavra]

Hi....I came home this evening to fin my Banded fan worm, which seemed to be doing well for 6 months, in 2 parts. The tube is still attached to a large shell but the fan is about an inch away, open and waving in the current. Recent developments were that the worm somehow moved about 5 inches to the rear of the tank, and changed it's place of attachment (different shell) while we were away on vacation. Automatic feeding, no DTs while we were gone???? And it seemed to have a small piece of decoration coral leaning against it. It was unresponsive at first to being touched but then later 2 days ago would go back into the tube with lights changing. It looked like the opening inside the feather duster part was wider than ever. Now there are little schrimp like (looks like mini cleaner schrimp because of the stripe) near it, crawling around in the rubble. (10-15 of them) Copepods? The water conditons are good 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10-50 nitrates. All the other inhabitants are happy and fat...1 coral beauty, 3 chromas, 1 peppermint, 1 cleaner, 1 pistol shrimp, snails and 2 scarlet crabs, lots of plants and live rock. 30 gallon tank with 5 gallon water changes weekly for the past 2 weeks. What can I do to help my tube worm be happy, please. Thanks.
Lor V

 

[Anonymous]

If it is dead, the shrimp will pull it out and eat it. but don't dispare. Oftentimes, it just get a new set of feather, so hopefully that's what is happening in your case. Good luck.

 

[Lorraine Vavra]

Thanks. This morning the fan was still waving around and when I gently touched one of the feathers, it contracted but did not disappear. Could the worm have crawled out to go live in a more sheltered place???? The tube remains but looks almost transparent.
Lor V

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

10-50 nitrates

That's not "good" water conditions. 10's not bad...50 is. Dusters blow their crown when they are stressed, and as seven ephors mentioned it may regrow it. Is it just the crown that you see or maybe the whole worm bailed out and has burrowed down into the sand bed? If the whole worm bailed out, it will form a new tube. I suspect that the elevated nitrates are the reason this happened. Most inverts don't tolerate higher levels of nitrates like fish can.

 

[Lorraine Vavra]

Thanks for the replies. I checked the test kit and the 10 reading is the correct one. It helps to read directions . I thought it was a range and that I would have to get a fancier test kit to be more exact, but no!!!!
The feather duster with the worm attached jumped ship and burrowed into the sand and is reacting rather normally now to everything as it did in the past. The tube looks empty but I will leave it in there just in case there is something inside of it. I guess I was overemotional about this whole thing!!!!
Another obsessed neophyte,
Lor V

 

[WRASSER]

sometimes fish can be the culprit for feathers droping. my maroone gold clown started to nip at a hawian feather duster, it dropped its feather, and later grew a smaller one. every now and then the clown will nip at it when she goes by. other than that it is ok, 8)