Shy Duncan..?

[justjes45]

Hi everyone! So I got a little Duncan ( very excited... They are fun to watch)
And for three days he was wiggly and fun.
Now, I seem to have spooked him. I have fed him directly and he politely eats... But then he tucks back up.
Any ideas?

 

[betelgeuse]

They do that sporadically, but I have never fed mine directly. Not sure I would worry about him yet.

 

[Tahoe61]

My Duncan is the canary of my tank. If something is the least little bit off the Duncan's polyp expansion reflects it. It's been my personal experience that no other coral can touch the tissue of the Duncan or the Duncan will not fully expand.
Duncan are for the most part hardy corals, target feeding accelerates their growth.
Sounds like your specimen may still just be acclimating so I would not get to overly concerned yet. They do open and close, inflate and deflate daily it's when they remain tightly closed or not fully expended for days on end that you should become concerned.

 

[justjes45]

Ok- phew! Thanks!

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Yeah, mine did this for a couple of weeks before finally settling in. Mine lives in the sand bed under a powerhead. I think they, like Euphyllia, like the uplift from being situated under a powerhead. They are hardy, so don't worry. After mine took off, it went from 3 heads to 11 in less than two months.

 

[justjes45]

OK NOW I AM ANGRY!! (And worried[emoji13])
Right on cue after taking with you all, my Duncan popped back out, happily are and wiggled around!
This morning, I see my crab ( I THINK an emerald crab) is picking at, and EATING the cute tiny now retracted bubbles on my Duncan!!!
Argh!!!! Maybe this is why he was hiding to begin with?
Do crabs eat them?? I thought he , the crab, was picking off Algae at first, but they were DUNCAN PEICES!!! [emoji35][emoji36][emoji35]

 

[Naiad]

OK NOW I AM ANGRY!! (And worried[emoji13])
Right on cue after taking with you all, my Duncan popped back out, happily are and wiggled around!
This morning, I see my crab ( I THINK an emerald crab) is picking at, and EATING the cute tiny now retracted bubbles on my Duncan!!!
Argh!!!! Maybe this is why he was hiding to begin with?
Do crabs eat them?? I thought he , the crab, was picking off Algae at first, but they were DUNCAN PEICES!!! [emoji35][emoji36][emoji35]

Yes emerald crabs will sometimes eat coral tentacles. It is a sign they are not getting enough of their normal foods. Two options are available. One is to give the crab a nice meal and be sure he is well fed at all times. Sometimes they will never touch corals again but some seem to develop a "taste" for coral. Next is just to remove the offender from the tank.

 

[justjes45]

Aw man.... I really don't want to lose either of them..[emoji848]
The Duncan is new so he was on the sand bed , probably time to move him up, but I am sure the crab can find him anywhere now...
Maybe I will try to feed more...

 

[Naiad]

Yea I had a beloved crab steal a rainbow plate baby and start eating it like a cookie... crab now lives in another tank. I am sure he wasn't getting enough food but I couldn't risk it. It may also help to feed the crab a chunk of food before feeding any lps corals. I think they are often attracted by the food and just figure out they can eat the coral too.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Yep, I frequently have to chase my emerald crab away from my Duncan. He doesn't appear to do much harm other than make the Duncan retract at night, and only some nights, not all.