Invertebrates
Hawaiian Feather Duster.
A filter-feeding worm that unfurls a delicate feathered crown to catch food from the water, retracting in a flash if startled. Peaceful and reef-safe; anchor its tube in the rockwork of a mature 30-gallon-plus tank with good flow and plankton to feed on.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Community
- Community safe
- Adult size
- 8"
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Diet
- Planktivore
- Scientific name
- Sabellastarte magnifica
Good tank mates
The Hawaiian feather duster is a peaceful filter-feeding tube worm that is safe with corals and calm reef fish, and best kept away from fish and inverts that pick at its crown, such as some angels, butterflyfish, hawkfish, and certain crabs. House it with gentle, reef-safe tankmates that leave its feathery crown alone. It will retract its crown instantly if disturbed and may shed and regrow it under stress.
Good to know
The colorful crown is actually a feeding and breathing fan that the worm extends from a leathery tube and snaps back inside in a flash whenever a shadow or touch passes over it.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Ultra Black Ice
Confirmed peaceful and reef-safe; crown-nipping risk belongs to wrasses, butterflies, and puffers — not clownfish. No documented predation on or harassment of sabellid worms.
Royal Gramma
Peaceful basslet; any territoriality is limited to its cave hollow and never extends to nipping sessile invertebrates. Reef-safe classification is well-established across the hobby.
Firefish Goby
Explicitly confirmed by AquariumSource's feather-duster care page to leave feather dusters, hermit crabs, and brittle stars alone. Shy, non-aggressive; poses zero threat to the crown or tube.
Mandarin Dragonet
Multiple sources confirm it ignores feather dusters and other invertebrates, spending all time hunting copepods near live rock. The species' demanding husbandry (mature 30+ gal tank, live copepod supply) is a care challenge, not a compatibility problem with the worm — in any tank that can sustain a Mandarin, the feather duster thrives equally well.
Green Chromis
Among the most peaceful damsels in the hobby; confirmed reef-safe and does not nip corals or invertebrates. Schooling midwater fish that has no interaction with the feather duster tube or crown.
- N
Neon Goby
Cleaning behavior targets ectoparasites on the skin of larger fish — not sessile invertebrates. Confirmed reef-safe with no documented harm to any coral or invertebrate. At ~2 inches, poses no physical threat to the feather duster.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.