Feather duster worms left tube

[vandit2kX]

Hi guys

I had two feather duster worms which both left their tube and as I can imagine got eaten by bristle worms. I have no idea why. My salt is 1.025 and around 33 ppm at 77F. Calcium is at 400 using API test kit. Alkalinity 179 gh/kh. All the other parameters are 0 - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Phosphate is 1. One of those worms has been in my tank for a while. He had dropped his crown several times and regrown it. This time he completely left its tube. The other worm was a actually a brand new worm. Also left its tube short time after the first one. I also have a coco worm that has been living for a while and he seems fine. I would think the requirement for coco and feather duster worm is the same right? What am I doing wrong? I can't seem to keep feather duster alive in my tank. Do feather duster leave tube because they're just way too stressed?

 

[steved13]

I'm not sure if it will effect feather dusters, but phosphates at 1. is really high, you should be striving for .03 or lower.

The fact that they both left their tubes at about the same time, would cause me to suspect a water/environmental issue. Have you used any meds? Treated any fish? What are you feeding?

 

[vandit2kX]

Well last thing I did I remember was I took out old phosguard that has been sitting there for some time and replaced it with new one. I am not sure if phosguard considered medication it did say it was reef safe. I rinsed it down like instructions said. Other then that nothing that I can think of. I try to dose from time to time Kent liquid calcium and kent trace elements but thats about it. I do 10G water changes every week or so.

 

[steved13]

I've never used Phosguard but I think it's a phosphate remover so I don't think it would be an issue...but at 1. it's not doing the job for you.

How big is the tank? and how soon after or before water change did the feather dusters vacate?

 

[vandit2kX]

Yup thats true its really not helping that much but I can say it did help with red slime algae. The tank is 65g rsm 250. Now this last question I simply dont remember it happened like a week ago or something. Even before, I had feather duster with lower salinity actually and this one particular lived but dropped head few times. Other ones died I think because of low salinity. I started raising salt gradually of course and for the last couple of water changes I haven't been adding more salt but less so that salt in tank wont go up. Still something is off maybe its phosphate or I was thinking it was calcium.

 

[steved13]

Cal of 400 should be fine. It sounds like your params are not stable, and I would venture to guess the fluctuaution is more of an issue than the levels.

Here is a great reference for water parameters:

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

I would advise picking a target range (within the ranges in the article, but even more narrow) and try to keep the params in that target. The key is stability.