Vermetid snail outbreak list of killers for the dreaded snail

[DJC]

Hey all can I get some suggestions on multiple options to get rid of these guys

Here’s the catch I live in Australia so we are limited to what we can use/buy

I know bumble bee snails are good however I cannot get these in Australia

Would be great to ask the experts (you) to find out other options so I can seek out in Australia a resolution

Thanks all appreciate you guys assisting

 

[Snowxcross]

Hey all can I get some suggestions on multiple options to get rid of these guys

Here’s the catch I live in Australia so we are limited to what we can use/buy

I know bumble bee snails are good however I cannot get these in Australia

Would be great to ask the experts (you) to find out other options so I can seek out in Australia a resolution

Thanks all appreciate you guys assisting

Hi DJC - Ya they can be a nuisance if they get out of control. Do you have a bunch or just starting to see them? In my experience, if you can act before it becomes a problem then great, and understand something like bumble bee snails wont eradicate them entirely. So here's a few things you can do but either way, they'll involve work and some ongoing maintenance:

1. You can cover the top of the tube with something like Franks F-Aiptasia (works great). Sometimes the vermetid magically survives, so just keep an eye out.

2. Break the tube and cover with F-Aiptasia or some sort of aiptasia killer - i've used super glue to do this a long time ago (thicker gel type).

3. Ive been reading a bit and have heard many folks have some success by using coral snow. Read up on that, might do the trick, although i cant confirm.

4. Last ditch - pull out your rocks, do a lot of labor removing each one at least the ones you can see.

Good luck!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Biological controls (dangerous crabs and predatory snails):

The only things that 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.

biological controls may help to limit the population, but I wouldn't expect a complete eradication.

(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).

Other controls and more info on bumblebee snails:

manual removal, bumblebee snails, glue, injecting vinegar/lemon juice/kalkpaste, coral snow, etc. If you only have a few, then manual removal should work fine, otherwise I’d say to look at some of the methods used on the forum here and try out the ones you think would work best.

I’ve heard mixed reviews on the super glue method (but, most methods get mixed reviews with Vermetids).

For the vermetids, some people report success with emerald crabs, bumblebee snails, coral snow (there's a DIY recipe on here somewhere for this that's super cheap - I believe it's made from chalk), etc.

Probably the best results I’ve seen with small numbers of vermetids come from crushing the tube and setting a predator (like an emerald crab or a bumblebee snail) by the crushed tube immediately after.

The following may be helpful too:

Some people swear by bumblebee snails for vermetids, others say they’re useless, and still more say they’re effective but only over long periods of time (like 8+ months long). It may depend of the species of vermetid you have.

With regards to Coral Snow:

Some people report it eliminating their vermetid infestations while others report that it just cuts the numbers down drastically for a while.

None of these are guaranteed to work; some of them may work in some situations but not in others.