Vermitid Snails, Good or bad?

[Rexless]

I think these are Vermitid Snails, the brown tube like structures that I hope is clear enough to see. There are no live rocks in my tank but puzzled as to what they hitchhiked on given the fact I haven't added any more livestock in 6 months. Slow to surface perhaps but I guess more curious to know if this is a good or bad thing to have to what seems natural.

 

[monti mike]

They’re pretty harmless filter filter but they can become a pest. They can cause issues when their slime net keeps bugging your corals. When they get big the net can also be pretty unsightly.

 

[muzikalmatt]

While some will say they won't bother your corals, the general concensus is that these guys are bad news. There are numerous posts/stories of these guys reaching plague proportions in a tank and ultimately causing people to break down their tanks out of frustration. However, I do believe there are different strains/species of vermetids with some being more problematic than others. I am personally battling them in my tank at the moment and they spread incredibly fast, even when I've done my best to limit broadcast feeding. I have noticed that by cutting down on stirring the sandbed and broadcast feeding their mucus webs don't come out as much which are typically what cause the damage/irritation to corals. As far as combating them, the best approach is manual removal. I smash/crush them with bone cutters and long tweezers. You have to make sure to destroy the base and not just the tubes as they can survive in the base. Some people say bumblebee snail sand certain wrasses will eat them but I have not had much luck with that approach. Others have starved them out, but I think the only surefire way to get rid of them is manual removal.

 

[FishTruck]

I found tons of these when breaking down my 10 year old 300 gallon tank this weekend. I have the little fragile ones and over time they seem to settle in dark and out of the way areas. I have not seen the ones I have throw out the mucous nets.

 

[Rexless]

They’re pretty harmless filter filter but they can become a pest. They can cause issues when their slime net keeps bugging your corals. When they get big the net can also be pretty unsightly.

Thanks Monti Mike!!

 

[Mr.Acro]

They are BAD NEWS. They will kill coral, they will irritate fish and just muck up your tank. One of the best ways I've found to deal with them is to up your clean up crew. If there is competition for food and less to go around their population will go down. Once they are limited, manual removal with bone cutters is a great option.

 

[Rexless]

While some will say they won't bother your corals, the general concensus is that these guys are bad news. There are numerous posts/stories of these guys reaching plague proportions in a tank and ultimately causing people to break down their tanks out of frustration. However, I do believe there are different strains/species of vermetids with some being more problematic than others. I am personally battling them in my tank at the moment and they spread incredibly fast, even when I've done my best to limit broadcast feeding. I have noticed that by cutting down on stirring the sandbed and broadcast feeding their mucus webs don't come out as much which are typically what cause the damage/irritation to corals. As far as combating them, the best approach is manual removal. I smash/crush them with bone cutters and long tweezers. You have to make sure to destroy the base and not just the tubes as they can survive in the base. Some people say bumblebee snail sand certain wrasses will eat them but I have not had much luck with that approach. Others have starved them out, but I think the only surefire way to get rid of them is manual removal.

Thank you for the detailed information, I hope you get through your issues. My tank is about 6 months in and taking it slow but just to be on the safe side I will crush them into oblivion lol.

 

[Rexless]

They are BAD NEWS. They will kill coral, they will irritate fish and just muck up your tank. One of the best ways I've found to deal with them is to up your clean up crew. If there is competition for food and less to go around their population will go down. Once they are limited, manual removal with bone cutters is a great option.

Thank you Mr Acro, I will up my CUC as well!!

 

[ryshark]

As others have mentioned, they can reach plague proportions and are ugly, especially the mini version. Broadcast feeding, stirring up the sandbed, etc will spread them quickly. I've dealt with them in the past, so in my latest tank just as a preventative prophylactic, I started with lots of bumble bee snails, emerald crabs and halichores wrasses. I don't think any of those will eliminate a large population of vermetid once they are already established, but I'm hoping they can keep them from ever occurring. I would definitely break those tubes if I were you, as low as possible on the tube, as others mentioned.

 

[ScottB]

I despise these things. The can multiply very quickly. I believe my urchins manage them well but only in open space. Any place they cannot reach has many of these in my tank. I had to rip out a very large portion of my scape to get at them. Nasty work.

 

[Rexless]

As others have mentioned, they can reach plague proportions and are ugly, especially the mini version. Broadcast feeding, stirring up the sandbed, etc will spread them quickly. I've dealt with them in the past, so in my latest tank just as a preventative prophylactic, I started with lots of bumble bee snails, emerald crabs and halichores wrasses. I don't think any of those will eliminate a large population of vermetid once they are already established, but I'm hoping they can keep them from ever occurring. I would definitely break those tubes if I were you, as low as possible on the tube, as others mentioned.

Thank you for the feedback. I'm in search now for some long tweezers to try and start the removal.

 

[Rexless]

I despise these things. The can multiply very quickly. I believe my urchins manage them well but only in open space. Any place they cannot reach has many of these in my tank. I had to rip out a very large portion of my scape to get at them. Nasty work.

Thank you ScottB for the feedback. Very Much appreciated to say the least.

 

[ScottB]

Thank you for the feedback. I'm in search now for some long tweezers to try and start the removal.

Tweezer will work on the very small ones. The larger ones require bone cutters to get at the base where they retract to when threatened.