Hawaiian Feather Duster (Sabellastarte spectabilis) Care Guide
Sabellastarte spectabilis is a filter-feeding sabellid tube worm with a feathery radiole crown, peaceful and reef-safe.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Sabellastarte spectabilis is a sedentary tube-dwelling polychaete of the family Sabellidae. According to Wikipedia it features a branchial crown of branched tentacles, the radioles, forming a plume, and lives in a tough, leathery tube covered with fine mud. It is a peaceful filter feeder valued for water-column filtration.
Taxonomy
- Phylum: Annelida
- Class: Polychaeta
- Family: Sabellidae
- Scientific name: Sabellastarte spectabilis
Habitat
Per Wikipedia the species is native to the Indian Ocean and Red Sea and has expanded its range to African coasts, Mozambique and the Gulf of Mexico, reaching Hawaii by 2002, where it was reported on pilings, floating docks and harbour walls. It occupies holes and cracks and among algae on reefs and rocky shores.
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: 5-15 cm; Wikipedia reports up to 80 mm length, 10-12 mm width
- Lifespan: 2-5 years
Diet
It is a filter feeder. Per Wikipedia, cilia on the tentacles create water currents and organic particles are caught as they float past, channelled to the mouth via mucus-filled grooves, while larger particles serve as tube-building material. In aquariums it depends on plankton-rich water and supplemental phytoplankton dosing.
Compatibility
Peaceful and reef-safe with other invertebrates and peaceful fish. Avoid hawkfish, many wrasses and arrow crabs, which may pick at the crown. Place it low in the tank where suspended food is more plentiful.
Breeding
Per Wikipedia it reproduces by both asexual fragmentation and sexual means, with research suggesting sequential hermaphroditism in larger specimens; fertilisation is external and larvae settle after planktonic dispersal.
Sabellastarte spectabilis Breeding Guide
Overview
Sabellastarte spectabilis, the Hawaiian feather duster, is a sabellid polychaete that can reach about 80 mm in length and lives in a tough, leathery tube covered with fine mud. Its branchial crown of branched radioles forms a banded brown plume; cilia on the tentacles create currents that capture organic particles for feeding, while larger non-food particles are used to build the tube. It occurs in holes, cracks and among algae on reefs and rocky shores.
Reproductive Mode
The species uses both sexual and asexual strategies. Most worms are either male or female, with gametes maturing in the coelom before being released into the water column, and some larger specimens show sequential hermaphroditism.
Asexual Reproduction
Sabellastarte spectabilis can reproduce asexually by fragmentation and can regenerate body parts after being damaged. This regenerative ability also lets it rebuild a lost branchial crown, and fragmentation contributes to local increase in numbers.
Sexual Reproduction
Fertilisation is external. After a short time in the plankton, the trochophore larvae settle out of the water column and grow into adult worms. The brief planktonic phase is one reason this genus has been a subject of artificial propagation work.
Common Challenges
In aquaria, asexual fragmentation can occasionally produce new individuals, but reliable larval rearing remains difficult. Crowns are frequently shed in response to stress or poor water quality and then regrown, which keepers may mistake for death of the worm.