Care Level: Moderate
Temperament:Â Peaceful
Reef Compatible:Â Yes
General Description: The Feather Duster Worm, also known as the giant Feather Duster or Hawaiian Feather Duster, are relatively hardy fan worms found around Hawaii and in the Indo-Pacific. Crowns of these specimens often have a banded pattern in a variety of colors including browns, maroons, and yellows. Not to be mistaken for its closely related hard-tubed counterpart (Coco worm; Protula bispiralis), feather dusters protect their bodies within a squishier tube that has been described to feel similar to a heavy paper or leather. They make this tube by secreting a mucous which pieces of substrate adhere to. If disturbed, it will quickly retract its crown into this tube. Feather dusters on average reach a length of 7″ in aquaria, while their crown can reach a diameter of up to 8″. In stressful circumstances, Feather dusters may drop their crown but this does not mean the worm is dead. A new crown will be regenerated with time.
Diet Requirements: Feather dusters are filter feeders and would benefit from doses of a high quality live phytoplankton. Established aquariums can provide some dietary components, such as suspended particles from coral or fish foods. Stirring up settled detritus is also beneficial for your Feather duster to filter.
Tank Requirements: A very established, minimum aquarium size of 30 gallons is recommended to house a Feather duster worm. While more forgiving than the Coco worm, maintaining stable water parameters is a major component to the success of keeping this invertebrate long term. Feather dusters prefer to be on the bottom tucked under a ledge out of direct aquarium light and need moderate flow in order to extract the nutrients it needs from the water column. Crevices should be created with reef rock in order to mimic the Feather duster’s natural environment, as they will attach the end of its tube into one of these spaces. Recommended water conditions: 76-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.024-1.026.
Purchase Size: 4″ to 6″
Note: Your item may not look identical to the image provided due to variation within species. Purchase size is approximate.
