ID Please...Vermeted Snail? Or No?

Roatan Reef · Mar 1, 2023

Not sure what this critter is growing on my Live Rock.....I'm leaning towards a Vermeted Snail...but not sure.

And whatever it is...how do you remove it??

fishguy242 · Mar 1, 2023

Looks like a type of warty nem ,i would get positive ID before removing...
@Eagle_Steve ??

Roatan Reef · Mar 1, 2023

Here is another pic, you can see it is firmly attached to the live rock right behind my phyllangia coral.

vetteguy53081 · Mar 1, 2023

Roatan Reef said:
Here is another pic, you can see it is firmly attached to the live rock right behind my phyllangia coral.

Looks like a dendrophyllid or Calliactis but pic red and fuzzy to fully verify

Kasrift · Mar 1, 2023

No idea what it is, but not a vermetid snail.

Roatan Reef · Mar 1, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
Looks like a dendrophyllid or Calliactis but pic red and fuzzy to fully verify

With the Whites:

Also, it closed up completely once the Whites were on.

Kasrift · Mar 1, 2023

Roatan Reef said:
With the Whites:

Also, it closed up completely once the Whites were on.

Funny enough, it looks like a vermetid in the picture on the far right, that white tube.

Roatan Reef · Mar 1, 2023

Also..is it possible that it is a new phyllangia coral growing? It is right behind the main one that I have....it came with live rock I bought from Tampa Bay Saltwater???

sfin52 · Mar 2, 2023

Roatan Reef said:
With the Whites:

Also, it closed up completely once the Whites were on.

Looks like a type of nem

Roatan Reef · Mar 2, 2023

sfin52 said:
Looks like a type of nem

Ok...what type??

Eagle_Steve · Mar 3, 2023

Roatan Reef said:
Ok...what type??

Looks like Phyllangia americana for the cluster and could be the same for the single. Easiest way to tell is to take something you can lightly blow water on it and do that. get it to retract and determine if the base is hard or soft. If it is hard, then Phyllangia americana is what it is. If it is soft, this is where we get into a bit of a rabbit hole.

If the base is soft and fleshy, then it is more than likely a Bunodosoma sp. Issue with the tis most nems in the gulf and Atlantic coast of FL are all lumped into this and they are not actually Bunodosoma sp. There I work being done to reclassify and to classify nems in FL, but that takes times, so no major changes yet.

Again, easiest way to tell is to determine if the base is soft or hard.

I will say, if it is a nem, it is not aiptasia, exaptasia, or majano. These nems are pod eaters. They can also thrive off a little mysis throw to them here or there. They do not reproduce readily like pest nems and I have some in all my tanks. Also, once they grow, they tend to develop really cool patterns and have no issue of harming fish.

Here are a few of mine. As you can see, quite a few different look different and only the last 2 pics are true warty nems Bunodosoma cavernata(warty nem).

Roatan Reef · Mar 3, 2023

Eagle_Steve said:
Looks like Phyllangia americana for the cluster and could be the same for the single. Easiest way to tell is to take something you can lightly blow water on it and do that. get it to retract and determine if the base is hard or soft. If it is hard, then Phyllangia americana is what it is. If it is soft, this is where we get into a bit of a rabbit hole.

If the base is soft and fleshy, then it is more than likely a Bunodosoma sp. Issue with the tis most nems in the gulf and Atlantic coast of FL are all lumped into this and they are not actually Bunodosoma sp. There I work being done to reclassify and to classify nems in FL, but that takes times, so no major changes yet.

Again, easiest way to tell is to determine if the base is soft or hard.

I will say, if it is a nem, it is not aiptasia, exaptasia, or majano. These nems are pod eaters. They can also thrive off a little mysis throw to them here or there. They do not reproduce readily like pest nems and I have some in all my tanks. Also, once they grow, they tend to develop really cool patterns and have no issue of harming fish.

Here are a few of mine. As you can see, quite a few different look different and only the last 2 pics are true warty nems Bunodosoma cavernata(warty nem).

Awesome. Thanks