[RobG]

I just got back from a nice, two week long vacation. While I was gone, I had a friend stop in every other day, make sure nothing bad happened, drop in a little calcium, flake food, and DT's into my tank...

Either way, when the lights came on this morning, I noticed that my large carribean feather duster (About 2" tall and 2" diameter when open) is completely AWOL.

I have:
Pair of maroon clowns
Yellow tang
3 green chromis
Coral Banded Shrimp
3 Mithrax (Emerald green) crabs
Lots of snails and red-legged hermit crabs
One Sally Lightfoot
Cleaner Shrimp

Any ideas?

[FishKid]

either other the crabs could have done it, perhaps it was just "annoyed" and lost its crown...

mark

[Dive_Master]

Don't do anything. I rememeber reading something. I will get back to you tomorrow, but it sounds liek it is growing and/or multiplying.

Just remove the crown if it just sitting there.

[RobG]

I don't see the crown or the tube (base?) of the duster anywhere in the tank... It appears as if the entire thing was eaten.

My crabs are usually pretty docile, but they were getting fed a lot less while I was gone.

[organicreefer]

they sometimes toss their crown in response to poor water quality.if you correct conditions it will probly grow back.
sabellastarte also casts off its tentacles in preperation for reproduction.if water conditions are correct you can assume that the worm is preparing to release sperm and eggs into the water.hth

[Mikeman]

I would think any of your inverts could have eaten it including the shrimp

[Rhonda.J]

and I wouldn't have beleived it if I hadn't seen it. But my large feather duster left his tube completely and was trying to climp up a rock with not much luck. And along came several nassarius snails and they ate the feather duster. I wouldn't have thought that nassarius snails would have eaten him but they did.

[scubadude]

I would think that most crabs would take the chance to scavenge if not fed well enough, do the crabs have plenty to scavenge off of the rocks? If i member right them green mithrax are algae eaters and they may require a bit more than you have so they look to other means, specially if you have a good amnt of snails too....Just a thought!

[RobG]

The crabs usually get some extra food that they were deprived of while I was gone. They usually get their hands on some squid or a small chunk of silverside when I feed, but I made the feeding really simple while I was gone -- just flake to keep the fish alive and DTs for the sandbed.

[Wind]

I have had tiny calcerous tube worms w/ bright red crowns. Ever since I've added a yellow tang, I dont' see them come out anymore. Perhaps the tang ate it while grazing..

[DAVE G.]

MAN
I really don't trust my Mithrax. Even though he has eat flake food right out of my hand,I've watched him take food right out of the mouth of my green open brain-and when I see my Feather-duster bounceing around it's always him jerking on it ?