New “thing” on alveopora

[ReefGirl50]

I’ve had this alveopora for about 6 weeks. This morning, before it opened up, I noticed this “thing” on it. I pulled it out and did a dip and took a few pictures to get a better look. The pictures made it look like a worm of some sort so I grabbed a skewer to try to flick it off. It was hard, and crumbled, annd maybe felt hollow. Any idea what it is, and what my next steps should be?

 

[crazyfishmom]

Kinda looks like some sort of shell. I have those on a lot of different frags without any issues.

 

[OrionN]

It is a Vermetid snail.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I’ve had this alveopora for about 6 weeks. This morning, before it opened up, I noticed this “thing” on it. I pulled it out and did a dip and took a few pictures to get a better look. The pictures made it look like a worm of some sort so I grabbed a skewer to try to flick it off. It was hard, and crumbled, annd maybe felt hollow. Any idea what it is, and what my next steps should be?

Really looks like a vermetid snail. Not great they irritate corals. If the shell is very hard / calcarious it is. I took the frag I had on on, put in a shallow container deep enough to cover the frag and coral, fill with tank water so you can work with it, get some tweezers and pull it off at the base as that is where the snail is.

 

[Cell]

Just pop it off with your fingernail or tweezers. Takes 2 seconds. Doesn't need to be in water.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Just pop it off with your fingernail or tweezers. Takes 2 seconds. Doesn't need to be in water.

lol yeah I am probably just an over kill kind of gal. Mine was very hard to break off and I didn’t want it getting out in the tank

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Like they said if it’s hard she’ll - pop it off…careful not to damage the tissue of the alve.

I wouldn’t be doing this under water.
If your worried about getting something is your eyes wear eye protection. Because you don’t want to damage the coral tissue

 

[OrionN]

Killing this one snail is easy, just crack the shell open and the fish will have a meal with him as the main course. The problem is you may have an army of these snails. They reproduce freely in our tank. IF the condition is right and there are no natural predator, you can have a large population of them. Their mucus threads can be unsightly, but they do not bother anybody.

 

[ReefGirl50]

Thanks @everyone! What are their natural predators? Is there something I can add to the tank to control them?

 

[crazyfishmom]

Thanks @everyone! What are their natural predators? Is there something I can add to the tank to control them?

Bumblebee snails!

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Bumblebee snails!

This I don’t believe.
I have bumblebee snails and these Vermetid
They don’t bother anyone but I do try and pop ones off that are close to corals

 

[crazyfishmom]

This I don’t believe.
I have bumblebee snails and these Vermetid
They don’t bother anyone but I do try and pop ones off that are close to corals

Getting Rid of Vermetid Snails - Tidal Gardens

Vermetid snails are a family of sessile gastropods that are very frequently found in our saltwater aquariums. They are often mistaken for worms but they are in fact snails that spend their adult life in one location and filter feeds by sending out a mucus web to catch organic debris. In this...

tidalgardens.com

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Getting Rid of Vermetid Snails - Tidal Gardens

Vermetid snails are a family of sessile gastropods that are very frequently found in our saltwater aquariums. They are often mistaken for worms but they are in fact snails that spend their adult life in one location and filter feeds by sending out a mucus web to catch organic debris. In this...

tidalgardens.com

Again I said I have bumblebees
Always have
Since the beginning
And still have vermetid snails

 

[crazyfishmom]

Again I said I have bumblebees
Always have
Since the beginning
And still have vermetid snails

Not arguing with you. Providing a resource. That’s all.

 

[OrionN]

Various species of these snails require differnt predator’s. My Harlequin Tusk eat the larger ones, but this is not an option for most people. Nutrient control for the smaller ones.
Most of us resort to manual control. Plug the opening of the sail will kill it.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Not arguing with you. Providing a resource. That’s all.

I’ve read that before

I wasn’t saying it was untrue

But that they won’t eliminate the other

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Various species of these snails require differnt predator’s.

This is why some people report success with Bumblebee Snails while others don't - Bumblebee Snails have been seen feeding on some species, but it's incredibly likely that they don't feed on all species of vermetids.

What are their natural predators? Is there something I can add to the tank to control them?

The problem with adding vermetid predators to the tank is that the predators are not generally reef-safe, either eating mollusks (like the snails in your CUC), corals, other things like shrimp and hermits, or multiple of the above.

That said, some known predators:

I've read about which confirmedly prey on Vermetid snails are Carpilius convexus (a crab), Mancinella armigera (a muricid - A.K.A. murex snail), and Menathais tuberosa (another muricid snail). For hopefully obvious reasons, none of these are fully reef safe, as there's a very good chance they'll eat CUC and any bivalves you may have (and with the crab, pretty much any other invert they can reach may be in danger as well). It's presumed in the report I've read that other Carpilius spp. will eat them as well, and there are likely a number of other muricid snails that would eat them too. I have no idea if these would be coral safe or not though.

(Just as a note for the links, a number of different snails - not just Murex/Muricid snails - eat other snails, so some of the other predatory snails found in the links below may be worth a shot too.)
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Yes, bumblebee snails can prey on some vermetids (though they may not prey on all of them - it may be species/size dependent). They prey on the sessile adults, but sometimes need help to get to the vermetids in the tubes (see the second quote below).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Bumble bee snails worked for me but took a LONG LONG time. For one vermetid as shown. I take a baby screwdriver and pop the entire structure off in a small container of tank water.