vermited snail lifespan out of water ??

[fuelman]

hi all i managed to get my tank infested with vermited snails, got hundreds of little white shells all over the glass i see the webs popping up on the rocks. this is only a few months old system was thinking about taking it all down scrubbing everything clean but i'm sure there will be some in the rocks where i cant get to them. wondering if anyone knows how long i would need to let the rock set out dry to be safe that they are dead before setting the tank back up ?

 

[Bryson.bobby]

hi all i managed to get my tank infested with vermited snails, got hundreds of little white shells all over the glass i see the webs popping up on the rocks. this is only a few months old system was thinking about taking it all down scrubbing everything clean but i'm sure there will be some in the rocks where i cant get to them. wondering if anyone knows how long i would need to let the rock set out dry to be safe that they are dead before setting the tank back up ?

Hey @fuelman, the white dots on the walls are most likely spirorbid worms (harmless filter feaders), can’t say the same for the things on the rocks, however.

I WOULD’NT advise you to take the rocks out and start over as vermetids aren’t really a big deal unless they’re irritating your corals. A much better way to resolve your vermetid problem is to break the tubes off and glue them shut so they can’t eat. I would also feed less and see if the population naturally decreases. (Less detritus = less food for vermetids to eat = numbers decreasing.)

Also, can you take some pics of the “vermetids” just to make sure that you have made the proper diagnosis?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Vermetid about s week out of water. Hydrochloric acid at 20% will destroy them but also bacteria. Super glue gel slse effective

 

[fuelman]

Hey @fuelman, the white dots on the walls are most likely spirorbid worms (harmless filter feaders), can’t say the same for the things on the rocks, however.

I WOULD’NT advise you to take the rocks out and start over as vermetids aren’t really a big deal unless they’re irritating your corals. A much better way to resolve your vermetid problem is to break the tubes off and glue them shut so they can’t eat. I would also feed less and see if the population naturally decreases. (Less detritus = less food for vermetids to eat = numbers decreasing.)

Also, can you take some pics of the “vermetids” just to make sure that you have made the proper diagnosis?

Ya it's vermited I posted a pic in a what's this thread a while back but now I have hundreds of them some are spiting webs most are not seem to be bothering my frogspawn a bit I will post a new pic when I get home today thanks for the response.

 

[fuelman]

Vermetid about s week out of water. Hydrochloric acid at 20% will destroy them but also bacteria. Super glue gel slse effective

Thanks I was thinking cause the tank is still pretty new I might be best to just start over rather than battle with this forever.

 

[fuelman]

Hey @fuelman, the white dots on the walls are most likely spirorbid worms (harmless filter feaders), can’t say the same for the things on the rocks, however.

I WOULD’NT advise you to take the rocks out and start over as vermetids aren’t really a big deal unless they’re irritating your corals. A much better way to resolve your vermetid problem is to break the tubes off and glue them shut so they can’t eat. I would also feed less and see if the population naturally decreases. (Less detritus = less food for vermetids to eat = numbers decreasing.)

Also, can you take some pics of the “vermetids” just to make sure that you have made the proper diagnosis?

Here is a picture of a bigger one there are tons of tiny ones on the glass all of a sudden I think I will try what you suggested and see if I can beat them back to a manageable level thanks for the input.

 

[Rjramos]

Does not look like a vermetid snail. The tube is not that white and encrusted as that one is. Some type of tube worm maybe.

 

[DMG Reef]

Does not look like a vermetid snail. The tube is not that white and encrusted as that one is. Some type of tube worm maybe.

+1. The one in the pic is just a fan worm. Harmless filter feeders. I even have some bright red ones that look pretty cool.

However, if you're seeing webs, you may have a combination of vermetids and fan worms. I hate the vermetid snails, but that's not what's in your pic.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Here is a picture of a bigger one there are tons of tiny ones on the glass all of a sudden I think I will try what you suggested and see if I can beat them back to a manageable level thanks for the input.

I’m still thinking that the ones on the glass are spirorbid worms

.

 

[fuelman]

+1. The one in the pic is just a fan worm. Harmless filter feeders. I even have some bright red ones that look pretty cool.

However, if you're seeing webs, you may have a combination of vermetids and fan worms. I hate the vermetid snails, but that's not what's in your pic.

the ones i seen spitting webs are more straight not all curly like the one in the pic but still look about the same color & i thought the tube looked the same just shorter & straight off the rock or some of the frag plugs but much smaller hard to get a pic of them & now i see no webs in the tank at all

 

[DMG Reef]

the ones i seen spitting webs are more straight not all curly like the one in the pic but still look about the same color & i thought the tube looked the same just shorter & straight off the rock or some of the frag plugs but much smaller hard to get a pic of them & now i see no webs in the tank at all

Watch for webs after you feed the tank. That's when my vermetid's come to life. Or you can stir a little of the sand bed and look for webs.

 

[fuelman]

I’m still thinking that the ones on the glass are spirorbid worms

.

that is just what the ones on the glass look like i thought those were baby vermited. guess i'm not so bad off as i thought, thanks so much for helping a rookie out.

 

[fuelman]

Watch for webs after you feed the tank. That's when my vermetid's come to life. Or you can stir a little of the sand bed and look for webs.

i'm bare bottom with starboard but i'm about to feed the tank now so i will watch close & get a pic if i see any webs, thanks for your input helps me out greatly

 

[Bryson.bobby]

that is just what the ones on the glass look like i thought those were baby vermited. guess i'm not so bad off as i thought, thanks so much for helping a rookie out.

No problem. I actually have vermetids in my tank too, but they’re not really too much of a problem, especially once I started to feed less

 

[fuelman]

fed the tank & been watching every sense no webs at all maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, i'll keep a close watch on it & get a pic if i see any next time

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Here is a picture of a bigger one there are tons of tiny ones on the glass all of a sudden I think I will try what you suggested and see if I can beat them back to a manageable level thanks for the input.

@Hemmdog, do you know what this is?

 

[Hemmdog]

@Hemmdog, do you know what this is?

Hard to tell out of water.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Hard to tell out of water.

That’s what I was thinking too just wanted to see what your thought are lol

 

[Hemmdog]

That’s what I was thinking too just wanted to see what your thought are lol

I think it’s a Vermetid but @Kattkrazie seems pretty enthusiastic about it being a fan worm. I have only had a few fan worms so maybe katt has more experience with seeing them. Vermetids are usually more straight and a little wider tube.

 

[DMG Reef]

I think it’s a Vermetid but @Kattkrazie seems pretty enthusiastic about it being a fan worm. I have only had a few fan worms so maybe katt has more experience with seeing them. Vermetids are usually more straight and a little wider tube.

Haha. Yes, sadly I have much experience with hitchhikers of all sorts. In my previous tank, fan worms completely covered the inside of my overflow. It took several years for the population to explode. Many of them moved over into my new tank as well.

Vermetid snails have a tan shell, not white. And it's thicker than the one in this pic. This is a fan worm for sure. They're like tiny feather dusters when the crown is sticking out.