Vermetid Snails removal

[rueric]

Hi,

Running a 32g Fluval Flex currently with a just 2 clowns and a shrimp with some snails.
I have an infestation of vermetid snails in my tank.. they are all over my live rock..
I've been reading up on posts regarding ways to battle it.. lazers, glues, hydrochloric acid..
Is it possible to just remove and replace the live rocks in the tank completely?
I understand the live rock holds much of the beneficial bacteria to keep my tank stable... but I would assume with my low bio-load, the filter media might be able to sustain this for some time?
Would love to know your thoughts!

I would let the current rock completely dry and let everything in there die off, then heavily rinse them to remove as much of the die-off as possible. Or I can just throw them away?

 

[PP123]

Yes you could do that... but you'll need to quarantine everything entering your tank. In my opinion they're a more neutral hitchhikers once the number are kept in check. Once you start adding corals it can be difficult to ensure you won't reintroduced them again.

Anyway I'd say just remove manually with your Weekly maintenance and don't add excessive nutrients to the system. Should get on top of them soon enough

 

[Dj City]

You could move your livestock to a QT tank and simply starve the vermetid worms out.
This way, you don't have to start over with your live rock'
Just remove your fish and inverts and stop feeding the tank.

 

[rueric]

Can you help me confirm these are indeed vermetid snails?

 

[Unholy_Rigatoni]

Can you help me confirm these are indeed vermetid snails?

Yep varmint vermetids for sure!

 

[Midrats]

Trying to get rid of them is futile.

 

[Dj City]

How long have you had this tank up and running?
They are vermetid worms. An awful lot of them!

Your best bet is to remove your fish and inverts and then starve the tank thereby starving the worms without killing all your live rock, bacteria, coraline algae.

 

[coralfishreef]

That is a lot of vermetid worms if those are vermetids.

 

[Gtinnel]

Can you help me confirm these are indeed vermetid snails?

Wow that's a lot vermitids. I think you've just motivated me to kill off the few that I have in my tank this evening.
Even with the numbers that you have I still think throwing your rock away is not the correct solution.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Those tubes are NOT calcareous and may be tube worms. Do you see a fan looking like a feather duster come out of hole occasionally ?

Tube worms:

Vermetid will be different looking like this:

 

[rueric]

No, I do not see feather duster type things coming from those little tubes..
Those tubes are hard and seem calcified..

On my last big water change, I did notice string like things coming out of it..
I've had this tankfor a few years now, perhaps closer to 3 at least, maybe even 4?
A renewed interest has me motivated to get this tank back into tip-top shape.

I have plans to eventually start growing corals after everything is situated.. I figured I would first tackle the problem of these spike-like things first.

My second plan was to add additional sand (while slowly washing the sand in sections to bring out any leftover detritus trapped).

Help!

Also, what is that on my fan? Those are not standard tube-like things on my rocks, but its more of a patch of spikes instead?

 

[Dj City]

I really think that since your livestock list is so small, you can starve out your issues by simply moving your livestock and discontinue feeding the tank.

Also, without the livestock, you can clean your sandbed really well.
You should look into DIY Reef Snow. This helps clog the nets of the worms so they can't eat.

If it were me, I would remove the livestock, get the reef snow and clean my sand while starving the vermetids out.

 

[NinjaSeaTurtle]

I crushed and crushed and scraped them off the rocks with tweezers right before every water change. I also periodically skipped fish feedings here and there to reduce the amount of food in the water column. I still have them but their numbers are dwindling because I am a vermitid super predator

 

[rueric]

I have a spare 20g tank I can start to cycle.. Have not ordered any live rock though however.. I wouldn't mind starving out my tank, but how long of a process would this take? I'd like to come out with a list actions I need to take to get me back to green..

1. Purchase additional live rock (BRS Reef Saver)
2. Start cycling on a 20g
3. Wait for cycle to complete, migrate the fish
4. Starve out DT (how long?)

 

[malacoda]

The rocks in my 24g look just like that ... if not a bit worse. I just put up with the look until my tank had stablized and I had fine-tuned my feeding regimine. Once the population to die back some, I just knocked off as many of the tubes as I could using an old glass scraper and my fingers. After that the rock looked a lot better and they didn't return in nearly such great numbers.

 

[Dj City]

If you are cleaning the sand at the same time, it will take longer but you will have sand that is clean and no worms in tube!
As you clean the sand, you will be feeding the verminteds.
Ever notice that when you disturb the sandbed, you see them cast their nets? That's how they eat and why is so hard to kill them. They stay inside their tube.

The diy Reef Snow doors an excellent job of speeding the whole process up because it helps to clear the water and fowls their nets so they can't get food.

 

[Dj City]

Check out this thread.

New vermited worm treatment?

So I was watching a ReefDudes YouTube live video where he was interviewing Mike Paletta. and someone asked him about his DIY reef snow. I know nothing about this but he said he stirs up his tank with a turkey baster, and then when the vermiteds come out, he uses reef snow. He says he does it...

www.reef2reef.com

I have been using the diy reef snow with very good results.
With you removing your livestock and cleaning the sandbed without adding any more food,
You will beat these verminted worms into oblivion in no time at all and get to keep your coraline encrusted live rock both alive and encrusted.

You know you are winning when you see less nets in the water when you stirr the sandbed.
From there, you simply break off all those tubes and you will be all set to start up again with youe livestock still being alive!

No mini cycle.
No loss of biological filtration.

 

[Midrats]

I tried marine snow, bumblebee snails, manual removal, aggressive mechanical filtration, nothing worked. I just live with them.

 

[rtparty]

I tried marine snow, bumblebee snails, manual removal, aggressive mechanical filtration, nothing worked. I just live with them.

How many snails and what size tank?

I just added 55 bumblebee snails to my 120. I plan it will take 3-4 months minimum for them to show a dent. I have seen bumblebees be successful but you need a lot of them. Hence my 55 in a 120 and I may add more to get mine under control.

 

[Midrats]

50g and hundreds. I would try 25 bumblebees, but I really don't care enough to bother. I've had vermetids in every tank I've ever had since the Eighties, I just never thought twice about them until recently when the internet decided they were bad.