Facts About the Feather Duster Worm

The marine feather duster worm is an interesting and useful addition to your saltwater aquarium. They're typically not difficult to raise, but knowing a bit about them can help you determine whether you want them in your tank and how best to keep them healthy.

Classification

Feather duster worms are a marine relative of the earthworm. They belong to the phylum annelid.

Description

The feather duster is a filter feeder. It cleans the aquarium by feeding on particles in the water.

Care

Feather dusters do best in water temperatures between 72 and 78 F and a pH of 8.3 to 8.4.

Feeding

Dusters feed on plankton and organic detritus they filter from the tank. Depending on the organic material in your tank, you may need to supplement their feed by directing food particles into the crown.

Behavior

The worms are sensitive to light and water motion and will withdraw into their protective tube to protect the tentacles from potential predators. In less than ideal conditions, feather dusters can shed their crown. Most will eventually regrow their crown when conditions improve.