Giant Feather Duster (Sabellastarte indica) Care Guide
Sabellastarte indica is an Indo-Pacific sabellid feather duster that builds a sediment tube and filters plankton from the water.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Sabellastarte indica is a sabellid feather duster worm. According to Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine it builds a leathery tube up to about 25 cm (10 in) long from sand, detritus, mucus and sediment, and extends a single crown of mottled reddish-brown and white feather-like filaments about 5-10 cm (2-4 in) in diameter. The crown serves both respiration and suspension feeding.
Taxonomy
- Phylum: Annelida
- Class: Polychaeta
- Family: Sabellidae
- Scientific name: Sabellastarte indica
Habitat
Per Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine the species occurs in the tropical Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, with tubes embedded in shaded sandy and muddy rubble of lagoons and bays where suspended food is plentiful.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- dKH: 8-11
- Adult size: 8-15 cm crown; tube up to about 25 cm
- Lifespan: 2-5 years
Diet
It is a suspension feeder. Per Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine the slime-coated filaments collect suspended particulate matter and plankton, and it requires frequent feedings, at least every other day, with fresh or preserved zooplankton and phytoplankton additives applied near and under the crown.
Compatibility
Peaceful, but per Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine it is not reef-safe with triggerfishes, wrasses, angelfishes, most shrimp and arrow crabs, which may pick at the crown. Because it is not photosynthetic, place it near or at the bottom of the tank where suspended particulate matter is more concentrated.
Sabellastarte indica Breeding Guide
Overview
Sabellastarte indica is an Indo-Pacific feather duster of the family Sabellidae, kept for its cream-and-tan radiole crown. In the World Register of Marine Species the name Sabellastarte indica (Savigny, 1822) is treated as an unaccepted synonym of Sabellastarte spectabilis (Grube, 1878), so its biology is understood through that accepted species. Like other feather dusters it lives in a self-built leathery tube and filter-feeds with its radiole crown.
Reproductive Mode
Following the accepted species, reproduction is both sexual and asexual. Most worms are either male or female, with gametes maturing in the coelom before being released into the water column, and some larger specimens display sequential hermaphroditism.
Asexual Reproduction
The worm can reproduce asexually by fragmentation and regenerate body parts after damage, including regrowing a lost branchial crown. Fragmentation is the practical route by which colonies of feather dusters can increase in an aquarium.
Sexual Reproduction
Fertilisation is external; after a short time in the plankton the trochophore larvae settle out and grow into adult worms. This brief planktonic phase has made the species a target of artificial propagation research.
Common Challenges
Larval rearing in a home tank is impractical, and increase relies chiefly on occasional fragmentation. Plankton-poor water or stress often triggers crown shedding, which is usually followed by regeneration rather than loss of the animal.