Magnificent Feather Duster (Sabellastarte magnifica) Care Guide
Sabellastarte magnifica is a large Caribbean sabellid tube worm with a showy radiole crown that filters fine organic particles.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Sabellastarte magnifica is a large marine polychaete of the family Sabellidae. According to Wikipedia it has a crown of branched tentacles, or radioles, forming a plume, displaying an orange-brown colour with white tips, and resides in a tough, leathery tube. It is kept for its appearance and its ability to remove organic particles and improve water quality.
Taxonomy
- Phylum: Annelida
- Class: Polychaeta
- Family: Sabellidae
- Scientific name: Sabellastarte magnifica
Habitat
Per Wikipedia the species inhabits sandy reefs in the Caribbean, where it anchors its leathery tube into the substrate and extends its crown into the current to feed.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 100 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- dKH: 8-11
- Adult size: 10-20 cm; Wikipedia reports up to 10 cm length with a crown to 15 cm diameter
- Lifespan: 2-5 years
Diet
It is a suspension feeder that removes organic particles from the water, as described by Wikipedia. In aquariums it relies on plankton-rich water and benefits from supplemental phytoplankton and fine particulate foods directed near the crown.
Compatibility
Peaceful and reef-safe with other invertebrates and peaceful fish. Avoid hawkfish and arrow crabs, which may pick at the crown. Position it low in the tank where suspended food concentrates.
Sabellastarte magnifica Breeding Guide
Overview
Sabellastarte magnifica, the magnificent feather duster, is a Caribbean sabellid polychaete. The worm can reach about 10 cm in length, with a crown of branched radioles up to about 15 cm across, typically orange-brown with white tips. It lives in a tough, leathery tube and filter-feeds on plankton and suspended organic matter, using the radiole crown for both feeding and respiration. It occurs on sandy reefs in the Caribbean, the Bahamas and southeastern North America.
Reproductive Mode
As a member of Sabellastarte, the genus reproduces by both sexual and asexual means. Sexually, most worms are either male or female, with gametes maturing in the coelom before release into the water column and external fertilisation, and larger specimens may show sequential hermaphroditism.
Asexual Reproduction
Sabellastarte worms can reproduce asexually by fragmentation and regenerate body parts after damage, including rebuilding a lost branchial crown. This is the mechanism by which feather dusters can slowly increase in number within an established system.
Sexual Reproduction
After external fertilisation the larvae spend a short time in the plankton as trochophores before settling and developing into adult worms, the same pattern documented for the closely related Sabellastarte spectabilis.
Common Challenges
Reliable larval rearing in aquaria is impractical, while asexual fragmentation may occasionally yield new individuals. Crown shedding in response to stress or insufficient plankton is common and is usually followed by regeneration rather than death.