Not furry either, still lovely.
Feather Duster Worm
Sabellastarte spp.
Also called Feather duster, Fan worm, Magnificent feather duster (S. magnifica), Indian feather duster worm (S. spectabilis)
From Tropical seas: S. spectabilis is native to the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, while S. magnifica lives on Caribbean reefs.123
At a glance the quick version
Body length: S. spectabilis about 8 cm, S. magnifica about 10 cm. The feathery crown of S. magnifica can reach about 15 cm across.
Looks how to spot one
Segmented worm in a tube with a feathery crown
A tube-dwelling bristle worm that shows only its crown of feathery, branched tentacles, spread like a fan or shuttlecock. The body stays hidden in a tough, leathery tube coated with fine sediment.12
Personality what they are like
A gentle, harmless animal. It snaps its crown back into the tube in an instant when a shadow passes over, then slowly unfurls it again.4
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Sessile: it stays in its tube and only extends or withdraws its crown.34
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Place it where there is gentle, steady flow to bring food past. Add plankton-type foods regularly in a tank without much natural plankton. No grooming needed.4
Home where they are happiest
A marine tank from about 40 L (10 US gal) upward with rock or sand where the tube can be anchored. Retail guidance: 22-26 C, pH 8.0-8.4, specific gravity 1.023-1.025, low to moderate flow.4
Food basics what goes in the bowl
A filter feeder. Tiny hairs on the tentacles drive a water current, and small organic particles and plankton are trapped and carried to the mouth. In aquariums it is fed phytoplankton and zooplankton.134
Company who they like around
Has no social needs and is peaceful toward reef tankmates.4
The story where it all began
The genus was set up by Henrik Krøyer in 1856; the Caribbean species was described much earlier, in 1800. Feather dusters have long been popular in marine aquariums for their looks and for the way they filter particles from the water.521
Fun facts for the dinner table
Recognised by the official bits
- Taxonomy (via Wikipedia)
- Genus Sabellastarte Krøyer, 1856, family Sabellidae, with eight species including S. magnifica (Shaw, 1800) and S. spectabilis (Grube, 1878).5
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Feather Duster Worm. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingDepends on species, many feed from the light and the watervaries
- Salinity checkevery week
- Water testevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Light checkevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Sabellastarte spectabilis (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for range, size, colours, tube, feeding, reproduction, aquarium popularity
- Sabellastarte magnifica (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for Caribbean range, size, crown colour, taxonomy
- Sabellastarte spectabilis (SeaLifeBase) sealifebase.seused for habitat, sessile habit, feeding
- Feather Duster (Saltwaterfish.com) saltwaterfish.comused for aquarium care, water parameters, tank size, feeding, behaviour
- Sabellastarte (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for genus taxonomy and species list
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.