Coco Worm Growing New Crown

[goldenmean]

He is growing it back pretty fast.

[krbekk]

So is it normal for them to lose their head? How often will this happen?

[djbacon]

glad to stumble across this thread...been reading alot about coco worms recently, just picked one up. not excited about the prospect of it shedding its crowns but I have read that it does happen occassionally. possibly growing larger or smaller crowns depending on the availabbility of filter foods in the tank. Target feeding is tricky as the slightest movement makes it retract. Also read that they frequently starve in captivity over 6 months to a year due to lack of adequate food source.

[Nervoustime]

I have a few Coco worms in my tank. One of them lost his crown after about six months, but he grew a new one. The oldest Coco worm in my tank has been in my tank for over a year now.

[Stacef]

Aww! Mine dropped his crown about a month ago, He is about a quarter of the size it was... but doing wonderful! After he dropped his crown, it dissappeared quite quickly, and now, have itty bitty feathers everywhere.

From what I have researched they won't get any bigger. My biggest one started about the size of a pin on the glass, and is now about the size of a pencil eraser. Ther are neat...but causing me to not be able to clean the glass around them...they might be gone soon, the glass is getting pretty bad.

[plecosword]

You do have a coco! That mean all those worms I have are cocos too.

[Dentoid]

Sorry Mario, my Coco jumped ship several months back and has not been seen since. The Coco was in my 90 gallon tank. The small HH feather dusters you are seeing came on the rock that was in my 20 gallon Harlequin shrimp tank. They are very cool though!

[plecosword]

oh LOL they look so alike though. Sorry about your coco.

[BEELZEBOB]

anybody gotta clue as to why the drop their heads?

my feather did that a few weeks ago.

i got all worried, but its growin back very quick. (like fingernail speed)

[BigAl07]

Some have theorized it has something to do with stress... some self defense... and some (only heard this one ONCE) was potential reproduction.

[djbacon]

Everything I have read points to the following causes -

1. stress

2. age - natural cylce - as it grows it may shed its crown and grow a new larger crown to support its larger size

3. environment - if the tank in which it is being kept is not supplying enough food, it may shed its crown and grow back a smaller one as it shrinks in size in response to reduce caloric intake.

If you parameters are good and your worm shed it's crown, dont freak out. It will probably grow a new one quickly.

Some people have a hard time target feeding cocoworms beacuse of the way they retract quickly when feeding is attempted directly. A slight change in current will cause it to retract. I've read the mouth is actually at the bottom of the spiral of feathers and food must slowly be directed down the spiral into the mouth in the base of the tube.

The centermost outward end of the crown is actually where it expells waste. In other words...it's butt . So the best way to feed it is to drop phyto above it with the pumps off and let it filter down slowy around the crown. OR - drop phyto in the current away from the worm in the path that will lead to it. Trying to shoot food down the tube will just expel it as the crown re-emerges.

[plecosword]

Stace's coco lost his crown 2 times so far, and now she has like billions of cocos all over the place. they look like little with spirals, thats why im so sure what I have are cocos.

[Dentoid]

Very well could be Mario! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you have Cocos.

[plecosword]

I still think I do!, that would be awesome, because then I have a Fortune of cocos! Are you sure your coco and the rock were never in the same tank?

[Dentoid]

Nope, they never were, the two tanks are independent of each other. They can't even see each other. Although, I did move some corals to the 20 from the 90! Things that make you go hummmmmmm?