Christmas Tree Coral/Worms (Please Advise)

[Huminahumina]

Hello,
I just started my tank about half a year ago, since then it seems to be going very well. All of the sudden Three of my eight christmas tree worms in the coral have half turned to bone (their nose/green peg thing) the bone is kinda in the shape of a crown, they are still alive but I feel terrible about their condition, and am not sure what to do. I also don't know what caused the mess, the only things I have done out of the ordinary are:

(4 days before problem) Moved the rock form the top of my tank to the bottom (55-gal, long).

(1 day before problem) Fed everyone a bit more then normal, and gave everyone blood worms and some invert/coral food mixed in, rather than the usual diet of that Photoplangton (or something like that) Gourmet Fish Food stuff.

Please if anyone knows what I could do I would be very grateful, I feel horrible about their condition, and would do what ever it takes to save the 2 1/2 bone worms and stop it from happening to all the others (The process has started happening to 2 others, by this I mean there green/algae/noses have greatly thinned, originally looking like large green cylinders now looking a lot less hardy).

Well, if anyone has any suggestions on saving these little guys I would love if yo could either post or email me your suggestions (hominahomina@mac.com).


PS: (I got the x-mas tree coral about 2 weeks ago)

[RothChyld]

I am not sure what you mean by their bone. Are you referring to the crown being gone? I want to make sure we are talking about Christmas tree worms and not something else.

Also what are your water conditions? Have you tested lately?

[Huminahumina]

The green snout that sticks out of their hole when they are not fully out. Yes, they are official christmas tree worms (The 2 spirals, colorful, and then the beak like thing). What is left of the snout is a bone (white) like crown. My water conditions are all near perfect, and the salinity is at 1.021. Looking in on them now, they never seem to come out anymore, I am not sure what could be the matter.

[RothChyld]

All tubeworms need 3 vital things to live. (1) Good water flow (2) good water quality - specifically they hate nitrates (3) the right food / particle size for their feeding.

If you are not feeding them with some sort of phyto or supplement then that is more than likely why they are not surviving. If you are and everything else is in check then potentially the food you are feeding them is not of the right particle size. There has been no official study on particle size etc. for these but analysis I have seen states this is why colonies that have been established all of the sudden die off. Its because they require different needs for different food since they have grown.

Also note if you feed them with a syringe that tube worms feed from bottom up. In other words, don't drop the food on top of the crown as that is his "rear" and where he expells his current. You would want to feed to the side and close to the bottom of the feather.

I hope this helps out. If you are doing all of these things then I don't think there is nothing more I could offer you.

[OrionGirl]

Additionally, I would start raising your specific gravity--1.021 is very low for inverts. I would shoot for keeping it around 1.023-1.025.