Critter/pest identification

[Jamakle]

Does anybody know what this tentacled beastie is hiding in my rocks? And how to get rid of it?

And I seem to have a lot of stringy things coming out of my sand, what’s the best way of dealing with them?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Serpent star arms. Amazing find!!

 

[Jon Fishman]

I would be more concerned by what looks like vermited snails

 

[MTBake]

Yep. Serpent star. Good score!

I also see a feather duster or 2 and as mentioned, some vermited snails. I would get rid of the vermited snails. Keep the rest.

 

[Jamakle]

Thank you for your help. The serpent star isn’t a problem then? It never comes out from the rocks, I only see a few tentacles sticking out.

Where are the vermited snails in the picture? Will that be where I’m getting the strings on the rocks?

 

[Saltfishonly]

Those are BEAST didn’t know they can be that big

 

[Hogan]

Looks more like a brittle star to me, but either way, not a problem. The snails are are the stringy saliva looking stuff is from on your rocks. It's not necessarily bad, but the stingy stuff can bug corals if it is touching them and it's kind of unsightly.

 

[Hogan]

The feather dusters are good (circled in red. Like the feathers dusters, the snails live in a tube. So it's hard to tell from the pic if the tubes (yellow circles) that don't have a feather duster in it are snails, feather dusters, or empty tubes. The best way to find the snails is to trace the slime strings back to their origin point. The tube they're coming out is the snail tube.

 

[Jamakle]

The feather dusters are good (circled in red. Like the feathers dusters, the snails live in a tube. So it's hard to tell from the pic if the tubes (yellow circles) that don't have a feather duster in it are snails, feather dusters, or empty tubes. The best way to find the snails is to trace the slime strings back to their origin point. The tube they're coming out is the snail tube.

Thank you for that. I have just had a closer look and there seems to be A LOT of tubes in the aquarium but not too many with stringy bits coming from them. What’s the best way of getting rid of them?

And what will the stringy bits in the sand be coming from?

 

[Cell]

Vermetid snails eject mucus strings that can irritate coral. You can superglue the hole shut or break off the tubes and crush the base where the snail will be hiding.

 

[Jamakle]

Ok cool. Will all the tubes have worms in? As there are a lot spread over the aquarium but not many have mucus strings coming out of them, they’re more in the sand

 

[EW_Fish]

This could be a pain but just start crushing them when you notice them. I used tweezers for the longest time and my wrasse would be right there to snag the worm (crushed worm) as a snack.

 

[Cell]

Ok cool. Will all the tubes have worms in? As there are a lot spread over the aquarium but not many have mucus strings coming out of them, they’re more in the sand

Some may have died off, leaving an empty tube.

 

[Hogan]

Thank you for that. I have just had a closer look and there seems to be A LOT of tubes in the aquarium but not too many with stringy bits coming from them. What’s the best way of getting rid of them?

And what will the stringy bits in the sand be coming from?

I’m better the stringy things in the sand are spaghetti worms. They’re a good part of a clean up crew and will catch and eat organics that falls to the sand.

(Pic from “The Fish Tank”)

 

[Hogan]

Thank you for that. I have just had a closer look and there seems to be A LOT of tubes in the aquarium but not too many with stringy bits coming from them. What’s the best way of getting rid of them?

And what will the stringy bits in the sand be coming from?

If it were me, I wouldn’t worry about it unless the mucus stuff is hitting a coral. And then, I’d break off that one that is irritated the coral.

 

[Hogan]

To make sure what you’re looking at is in fact a vermetid snail, here’s a pic of them from “Critterguide” along with a link that basically says what was said above about how to deal with them if you don’t like them.

Vermetid Snail – Critter Guide ™

critterguide.ca

 

[PooseReefer]

To make sure what you’re looking at is in fact a vermetid snail, here’s a pic of them from “Critterguide” along with a link that basically says what was said above about how to deal with them if you don’t like them.

Vermetid Snail – Critter Guide ™

critterguide.ca

I recently picked up a small Razor Wrasse. It's only 4-5 inches and i was told pretty much full grown. My LFS had been moving him around from tank to tank to take care of their Vermetid Snails. I have them ALL over my tank and after crushing a few near a new millipora (and seeing it do much better as a result) I thought I would try the Razor. Right now its getting used to the new environment and dealing with a little bullying form the current inhabitants but has started to settle in. Has anyone else heard of or had success with this tactic?