Vermetid Removal

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Anyone know of fish or other predators of vermetid snails?

I try to kill as many of them as possible, but I'm losing the battle. I'd like to know if there exists a natural, reef-safe predator of these snotty pests.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

There isn't a reef safe chemical that will do it. Fish have been hit or miss. My trigger and my harlequin tusk do eat them, but the better I feed them the less of that they do. At the end it seems people typically just recommend breaking the tubes and gluing the access.

 

[RandyT5]

I have a longspine urchin in my reef tank, which is already too big for the tank, but I notice where it eats algae off of the rocks, it also mows down the vermited snails with it. It has done a really good job reducing the numbers in my tank, it doesn't get between the rocks or all the small gaps, but it definitely has reduced the numbers greatly.

 

[shollis2814]

I have had sporadic luck crushing the base of some with needle nose pliers and then putting an emerald crab near them. Sometimes the crab started cracking them on its own, and sometimes they ignored them.

Physical removal and keeping nitrates low is a key to winning the battle.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Physical removal is about all I've had luck with. I have several straight and curved forceps I use to crush the shells.

I've recently considered buying a new, sharp ice pick for poking holes in the shells instead of crushing....crushing can be very disruptive depending on the location the snail chose to inhabit.

 

[Mical]

+ 1 on longspine urchin

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

What else does the longspine urchin eat? LOL Do they consume coralline algae?

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Physical removal and keeping nitrates low is a key to winning the battle.

My nitrates have ranged from ND to 1 ppm, and I've never observed an effect on vermetid snails.

 

[RandyT5]

Yep they do eat coralline and long hair algae, algae on the glass, etc. Mine went from the size of maybe a half dollar to softball sized in about 6 months. Out of control growth but ill put up with it.

 

[Mical]

What else does the longspine urchin eat? LOL Do they consume coralline algae?

yes they do

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Yep they do eat coralline and long hair algae, algae on the glass, etc. Mine went from the size of maybe a half dollar to softball sized in about 6 months. Out of control growth but ill put up with it.

Wow. I'm not sure I can handle that size in my 125 gallon tank!

I also don't have any hair algae available for grazing...only coralline algae.

 

[shollis2814]

My nitrates have ranged from ND to 1 ppm, and I've never observed an effect on vermetid snails.

I should have been more precise. MY nitrates were up due to overfeeding. When I cut back on feeding and dropped my nitrates, they started starving/dying off. Sorry I didn't put that well.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I should have been more precise. MY nitrates were up due to overfeeding. When I cut back on feeding and dropped my nitrates, they started starving/dying off. Sorry I didn't put that well.

No problem at all! My issue is kind of the opposite...my nitrates are under control, but these darn snails steal food meant for fish and corals.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Also, a shot of calcium hydroxide paste right in the ol' borehole seems to kill them, but that method is also not always practical.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

IMO the nitrates don't really affect the number of vermatids. A lot of time high nitrates is caused by significant amount of nutrition in the water column in the form of particulate food. That food is what makes their population explode with growth. If you run a filter sock it does help but it takes a while and they grow back as soon as the particulate is back.