[google_adsense_in_post]
Fanworms and feather dusters are among some of the most beautiful marine aquarium inhabitants. They are actually annelids and are related to earthworms. These worms are sedentary, sessile and fixed to a spot.
They have a segmented body protected within a tube. They have paired gills which are used for respiration and feeding.
Sabellids:
The sabellids construct a tube from detritus and mucous, out of which they extend a bizarre but beautiful crown of paired gill plumes known as radioles. These trap particles and sort particles according to size. Larger ones are rejected, assisted by mucous which helps the current to carry them away. Medium particles are used to help build the worm’s tube and the finest particles are ingested as food.
Tiny cilia, hair like projections on the surface of the gills, move the particles along to the mouth.
Many sabellids are found living in the sand and mud on the seabed.
Serpulids:
Serpulids, forming the other group, secrete a calcium carbonate tube and they tend to be found on hard substrates. In many cases they can be found living on corals, such as Porites species.
The worm initially borrows into the host, assisted by secretions of acid, and if taking up residence on a coral, the host eventually overgrows the tube.
The paired gills of the serpulids tend to assume a spiral like morphology and the worm also possesses a nifty trapdoor mechanism known as an operculum. This is used to effectively shut off the entrance of the tube, making these worms extremely well protected.
Water movement:
Being suspension feeders, these worms trap tiny particles on their gills. To some extent, they can facilitate this through rhythmically pumping their gills, but a degree of water movement will be needed to help in feeding. Water movement not only carries food to the worm, but also carries oxygen to the gills and helps the animal to shed mucous.
Sabellids tend to rely on laminar flow, which can be switched in direction to mimic tidal motion.
Serpulids are more tolerant of strong, chaotic water movement, presumably because of their habit of hunkering down in the skeleton of their coral host, which affords some protection.
Feeding:
Small particulate foods will be necessary and this can include phytoplankton, juices from frozen feeds and liquid invertebrate foods. Frequent feeding offers the best chance of success, but don’t go crazy, as some feeds can play havoc with water quality. Target feeding of individual worms, using a syringe or pipette, may be a good approach.
The modern reef aquarium, with its aggressive skimming and low nutrient levels, are often not ideal for these worms, which benefit from regular supplementary feedings. Mature systems are preferred for captive worms, as these provide stable water conditions, as well as housing potential feed in the form of natural plankton populations.
Suitable tankmates:
Angels and many butterfly fish are a strict NO NO. There are several genera of feather duster in trade, including Sabellastrate, Bispira and Branchiomma , and to some extent they have similar requirements in terms of flow and feed.
Placement is important. If conditions are not to the worms’ liking, they tend to leave their tube, often with dire consequences. However, they will occasionally relocate to a more favorable position and fashion a replacement.
They can be placed in the substrate, or among live rock. Some tiny species will be introduced as hitchhikers on live rock and may proliferate in the right conditions.
Of the serpulids, the Christmas tree worms of the Spirobranchus genus are the most familiar to aquarists. They are commonly seen embedded within imported Porites corals in the Indo-Pacific and other corals, such as Montastrea (star corals), may serve as hosts in Caribbean waters.
Spirobranchus giganteus, the horned Christmas tree worm, appears the most frequently seen species , having a cosmopolitan distribution in all tropical seas.
