Help with vermetid snails

CarolinaReefs · Feb 23, 2015

Guys and gals
I'm having a hard time with the vermetid snails. I have read everything I can about them and just wanted to get some updated info on eradicating them. I have way too many to try and glue them. I have reduced feeding to only pellets for about 4 months now and it hasn't had any effect. Some of my zoas aren't effected at all and some are severely irritated and close up and wither away. I am thinking about getting some bumblebee snails or maybe a melanurus wrasse. I do know the snails are whelks and whelks like snails and other bivalves. Maybe they would like an easy snack on the vermetid snails. What do you guys think?

redfishbluefish · Feb 23, 2015

I have a melanurus wrasse and plenty or vermetid snails. Just because you have the "right" wrasse doesn't mean they are eating the "goodies."

NY_Sea · Feb 23, 2015

Crush them with clippers or epoxy over them.

chemwiz · Feb 23, 2015

+1 on using clippers. Need to break the whole tube as they can live in a fraction of the tube.

NanaReefer · Feb 23, 2015

I just scrape them off with a butter knife

swhobbie1 · Feb 23, 2015

snap them off with coral tweezers then glue or epoxy over them

CarolinaReefs · Feb 23, 2015

There are too many to glue and i have taken some of the rocks out and taken them off but it is not possible to take out some of the larger rocks.

WindeyD · Feb 23, 2015

I crush the ones I can get to with tweezers and this keeps my corals in the clear; executing vermatids has just become a weekly maintainance task. There are some I can't get to but I am at peace with letting those be. My fish and cleaner shrimp do eat them but only after I've pulverized the little !?,&$@s

CarolinaReefs · Feb 27, 2015

I guess I'll just have to keep crushing them.

CarolinaReefs · Mar 20, 2015

Ok, I had my LFS order me 6 Bumble Bee Snails (Whelks). I have been watching them closely to try and make sure they are not misbehaving. They have been in the tank for 2-3 weeks now and tonight I watched one of them eat a vermetid snail. He approached the snail on a rock near the front of the tank. They have what I call a snorkel, similar to Nassarius snails, and as he approached he appeared to sniff around the opening in the tube for about 10-20 seconds. He immediately turned and covered the vermetid with his foot and sat on it for 10-15 minutes. I feel sure that they are eating them. I never see them on the sand or corals. They are always working the rocks. This is just my experience and may or may not be typical of bumble bee snails. I am hopeful that they will help keep them in check. It seems that it takes them a while to get into the shell of the vermetid though, and thus it will take a long time to eat all of them on my rocks due to the sheer number of vermetid snails. I hope that when the vermetids release their larvae, these guys gobble them up before they really have a chance to mature and develop their shells. Should be an easy snack for them.

NanaReefer · Mar 20, 2015

Funny. I've had Bumblebee snails for the past 4yrs and never once have I see mine go after Vermetid Snails. Go figure?! Lol

Arron209 · Mar 21, 2015

My melanurus wrasse ate the few vermetids i had within the first week of him in my tank.

CarolinaReefs · Mar 21, 2015

As a follow up to the bumble bee snail, he was on the vermetid snail while I was writing the post above. When I went back he had moved on and the vermetid snail was gone. The tube and base of the snail was no longer there. There was a small amount stuff left which resembled a small slimy spot of detritus. That vermetid got Wrecked. LOL !!

CarolinaReefs · Apr 1, 2015

My vermetid snail population is noticeably decreasing. Whooo Hooo! :nod:

Arron209 · Apr 2, 2015

That's awesome!

tgp4274 · Oct 26, 2015

before n after pics????

CarolinaReefs · Oct 26, 2015

Still fighting, but I added 30 more BB snails and they are slowly taking them down. I no longer have plague numbers of them.

CarolinaReefs · Oct 26, 2015

Oh...sorry no pics.

NY_Sea · Oct 29, 2015

I've been clipping mine off the rocks with a snipper and crazy glueing over a bunch of them.

CarolinaReefs · Jan 1, 2016

Update!! Vermited Snail numbers are way down. They are no longer everywhere you look. If you look, you can still find some but they are not everywhere like they were. The bumble Bee snails do keep them in check and I have not noticed any negatives from having them in the tank.