hammer coral

[melonheadorion]

i just noticed something wierd on my hammer coral that i dont recall seeing before. see the picture below. it looks like a little pig tail. touching it with feeding tweezers, it seems like its part of the bony structure, but its one of my first corals, so i dont know if its normal. anyone know what it is? normal?

 

[Sharkbait19]

That looks like it could be a feather duster worm, which are beneficial filter feeders.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Vermitid snail

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

+1 vermtid snail. Better to get rid of IMO

 

[jassermd]

+1 vermitid snail.

 

[Pistondog]

Check the head when out probably vermetid from location.

Redirect Notice

 

[PeterB113]

Looks like a feather duster IMO. In my little experience with vermatids they were always red

 

[jassermd]

Good point @PeterB113! Come to think of it, the small feather dusters I have hanging out on corals and rocks look a lot like that, with the white tube. That said, I've had some vermitids that were white before they got all algae covered. What's making me think more vermitid is the shape... haven't seen too many feather dusters with that shape, but then again, I'm only seeing a small sliver of what's out there.

 

[PeterB113]

Good point @PeterB113! Come to think of it, the small feather dusters I have hanging out on corals and rocks look a lot like that, with the white tube. That said, I've had some vermitids that were white before they got all algae covered. What's making me think more vermitid is the shape... haven't seen too many feather dusters with that shape, but then again, I'm only seeing a small sliver of what's out there.

I've seen "mini coco worms" or red mini feather dusters that color but never vermaitds. Like I said I am BY NO MEANS an expert only in the hobby 6mos. But I would say if your not noticing any I'll effects with your hammer especially when you feed the tank then I don't believe it's a vermatid. Buy please take everything I say with a grain of salt lol

 

[Sharkbait19]

It could definitely be either. Do you ever see white webs or strings in that area?

 

[melonheadorion]

It could definitely be either. Do you ever see white webs or strings in that area?

well, since i dont have the coral glued or physically attached anywhere, i picked it up just a bit ago to get some better pictures, and compared it to what i see on the web. im almost thinking vermitid myself. all of them that i see, have the same spiralish look to them. as sharkbait asked, i might have seen white strings in that area, but not since like day 2 and i have had it for about a week now. here are more pics

my assumption is vermitid, and might just remove them to be safe. seeing as there are a fair amount of them, i will probably cut them off, especially the darker brown ones.

 

[Goaway]

Mini feather dusters. Won't irritate your coral like vermin worms.

 

[Goaway]

There are probably some vermin worms. The longer tube ones.

 

[Dolphins18]

In the first picture, the one on the bottom is a feather duster. The ones on the top with a bit of color are vermetids.

 

[Sharkbait19]

When you remove/crush the vermatids, be sure to cover the opening with glue or something to starve them and keep them from coming back.

 

[melonheadorion]

When you remove/crush the vermatids, be sure to cover the opening with glue or something to starve them and keep them from coming back.

i just removed the brown ones and got their shells off, or at least almost all of it. enough to where i know that there is absolutely nothing left of it. when i move to the new tank. i used my magnifying headset to make sure that there is nothing left of the critter inside, and all that is left is just the outside of what shell there was..

i dont know if i am still sold on the feather duster part, but i leave that all up to you. thoughts on the smaller white ones?

 

[Dolphins18]

If

i just removed the brown ones and got their shells off, or at least almost all of it. enough to where i know that there is absolutely nothing left of it. when i move to the new tank. i used my magnifying headset to make sure that there is nothing left of the critter inside, and all that is left is just the outside of what shell there was..

i dont know if i am still sold on the feather duster part, but i leave that all up to you. thoughts on the smaller white ones?

If it is completely white and you see it open up at all then it is a feather duster. If you see any dark part on it including on the opening its likely a vermetid.
Nothing special about feather dusters other than looking cool and a little filter feeding. If in doubt, its no big deal to do the same thing even if it is a duster.

 

[melonheadorion]

If

If it is completely white and you see it open up at all then it is a feather duster. If you see any dark part on it including on the opening its likely a vermetid.
Nothing special about feather dusters other than looking cool and a little filter feeding. If in doubt, its no big deal to do the same thing even if it is a duster.

i cant say that i really paid too much attention to it, so i cant say that they opened up, but i think i have noticed at the mouth of it, seems to be dark, so i will probably just remove it. as you said, its nothing special, so ridding of it is not losing out.

 

[PeterB113]

ok so from the pics you posted now I would say vermatid most likely and in the future I've gotten rid of some on my fogspawn, not but cutting but just by placing some reef glue not the top of the tube. if they were on live rock I would cut it.

 

[melonheadorion]

ok so from the pics you posted now I would say vermatid most likely and in the future I've gotten rid of some on my fogspawn, not but cutting but just by placing some reef glue not the top of the tube. if they were on live rock I would cut it.

basically, i used a set of hobby cutters and cut them off pretty easy. the rest was just removing the remnants of the shell and the living organism. with what i read online, i expected it to be a chore with the suggestions to use bone cutters, but was able to remove them very easy without them