Vermetid Snails- The undefeatable pest

[Urban]

I literally check these forums every day hoping to see that someone has discovered a method of dealing with vermetids. I too have finally added a few bumblebee snails to my reef hoping to deal with the snails from hell, but so far I can't tell that they are making much of a difference. If they are, the vermetids are reproducing at such a rate that the bumblebee snails cannot keep up (I have five in a Reefer 170).

The only thing that I have yet to try is KZ Coral Snow; I was told that this has worked for some. Vermetids are the bane of my existence. I see so many people state that they don't cause them problems, but that has definitely not been my experience. Every few months I find myself spending hours pulling out my live rock piece by piece and scraping them off with a small flathead screwdriver (and usually making several unwanted frags in the process).

This is a small fraction of those removed the last time.

 

[Reefahholic]

Oh gosh no! My nutrients are always crazy...I over feed...I can't help it. I do my weekly water changes, and did start some NOPox dosing. I don't do anything fancy, I like PaulB method...keep it simple! My reef is 4 years old, moved to a bigger basement tank about a year and a half ago now but I hadn't seen a vermatid for a LONG time. I feel like the first 1-2 years was the worst of them. I do softies with anemones, started the tank with all dry, boring white rock. At that time, I dipped everything going in religiously...still had them.

Maybe your NOPOX dosing got rid of them or your tanks maturity.

 

[krash7172]

Once my tank matured all of my nasties just kinda found balance and are held in check. I run a natural tank and don't seek to nuke unwanted pests unless it's a simple addition of cuc or a critter for example. I have had bubble algae, aiptasia, maybe dinos, gha, vermetids, little cute white starfish I think they all still exist in the tank

 

[Reefahholic]

I literally check these forums every day hoping to see that someone has discovered a method of dealing with vermetids. I too have finally added a few bumblebee snails to my reef hoping to deal with the snails from hell, but so far I can't tell that they are making much of a difference. If they are, the vermetids are reproducing at such a rate that the bumblebee snails cannot keep up (I have five in a Reefer 170).

The only thing that I have yet to try is KZ Coral Snow; I was told that this has worked for some. Vermetids are the bane of my existence. I see so many people state that they don't cause them problems, but that has definitely not been my experience. Every few months I find myself spending hours pulling out my live rock piece by piece and scraping them off with a small flathead screwdriver (and usually making several unwanted frags in the process).

This is a small fraction of those removed the last time.

I have also heard KZ Coral Snow. I will buy some soon.

Just break their tubes and keep at it. It makes you feel better.

They do indeed stop corals from growing or basing out. They will grow, but it's much slower when the coral is being irritated. Yes, they multiply like crazy in higher nutrients.

 

[Bfragale]

I just added 15 bumble bee snails to my 80 gal DT. I hear more people say they do not work then people that claim they do, but figured why not try, also need to beef up the cuc anyway.
I also pull rocks and chip as many off at the base as I can find and reach. But most of my rocks can’t come out (Easily).

Not even the Bayer dip or anything else if tried will kill them if they are on a frag or rock.

Im always searching to see if anyone found a “cure“. Best thing I have found was a write up of how someone removed all fish, and stopped feeding corals, or adding any kind of food supplements- keeping water coloum free of what they feed on in order to starve them out. He claimed to have good success, I just don’t see how that’s possible in 99% of tanks.

 

[Punchanello]

I have heard the description of large 'mucus webs' irritating corals but I can't say I have seen that. The ones I have certainly catch food particles with a small tag of mucus at the entrance of their shell/tube but that's about it. I suppose the ones I have could inhibit the basing out of SPS but I tend to murder the ones close to the base by crushing the tube and shell. Even when I can't quite get to the snail the crushed tube gets grown over by the coral and entombed. I've never seen them growing on a coral skeleton with healthy tissue on it. So, I can't say the ones I have are harmful.

I'm not saying I like them, I just think I might not have the worst kind that others describe. I have the small ones, thousands of them on the underside of every rock and ledge. I used to scrape them but they just come back so I gave that up a long time ago. I comfort myself with the fact that they must be pretty good at removing uneaten food and detritus.

Just on coral encrusting over them, I also find that coraline algae encrusts over them too. If I see them growing around coraline I scrape them off and they get grown over and don't tend to come back. Otherwise, everywhere oraline doesn't grow it looks like Hellraiser.

 

[krash7172]

The retracted mushroom was getting vermetid snot on it. That's how I found out I had them. I thought the clowns were irritating them.

 

[Reefahholic]

I just added 15 bumble bee snails to my 80 gal DT. I hear more people say they do not work then people that claim they do, but figured why not try, also need to beef up the cuc anyway.
I also pull rocks and chip as many off at the base as I can find and reach. But most of my rocks can’t come out (Easily).

Not even the Bayer dip or anything else if tried will kill them if they are on a frag or rock.

Im always searching to see if anyone found a “cure“. Best thing I have found was a write up of how someone removed all fish, and stopped feeding corals, or adding any kind of food supplements- keeping water coloum free of what they feed on in order to starve them out. He claimed to have good success, I just don’t see how that’s possible in 99% of tanks.

Yeah Bumblebee Snails can't hurt. I think you can starve them out, but like you said....most of us don't really have that option. If I had to do that, I may just start a new tank. My corals are all encrusted to rocks.

 

[Reefahholic]

I've had to frag several acropora bases to get them to grow in certain areas. The coral will encrust over them, but it's always slower growth where one is at. It's usually not one though...there can be 3-4 or more that need to be cut away. Then the coral will base out better and grow faster. Encrusting monti's seem the least affected. When they come up through those I still cut the tips off. I will start filling them with a little super glue too.

 

[Reefahholic]

I just added 15 bumble bee snails to my 80 gal DT. I hear more people say they do not work then people that claim they do, but figured why not try, also need to beef up the cuc anyway.
I also pull rocks and chip as many off at the base as I can find and reach. But most of my rocks can’t come out (Easily).

Not even the Bayer dip or anything else if tried will kill them if they are on a frag or rock.

Im always searching to see if anyone found a “cure“. Best thing I have found was a write up of how someone removed all fish, and stopped feeding corals, or adding any kind of food supplements- keeping water coloum free of what they feed on in order to starve them out. He claimed to have good success, I just don’t see how that’s possible in 99% of tanks.

I wish somebody had some video of Bumblebee Snails eating them.

 

[Reefahholic]

 

[Reefahholic]

Fish of Hex got them too.

 

[Leslie Tabor]

Maybe your NOPOX dosing got rid of them or your tanks maturity.

I wish I could tell you that alas, I just started NOPox 4 weeks ago. I really do think it has more to do with tank age but I don't know how long some of you guys have been dealing with them. I always just thought it was another "ugly phase" of a newer tank.

 

[dugthefish]

Following. I just smash their tubes when I can, at least keep them busying rebuilding lol

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Ditto here. My current (frag) tank has them bad. Horrible little beasts that are always cutting my fingers when I reach in to adjust something. I am surprised they have not given me a horrible tank disease!

In my previous tank, I had then as well, but like the other poster, they just vanished on their own. I don't remeber doing anything intentional. Though I did have a couple of bumble bee snails in that tank. Come to think of it, I moved the surviving bumble bee snails over to the frag tank when setting it up, but they have now perished (tank has been up 5 years). I wonder if their presence was keeping the vermitids in check?

I guess I will get more bumble bee snails and see if they can turn the tide.

I agree finding a way to combat these would be awesome. I have been trying to work out away to avoid transfering the vermitids between tanks.

 

[Leslie Tabor]

Once my tank matured all of my nasties just kinda found balance and are held in check. I run a natural tank and don't seek to nuke unwanted pests unless it's a simple addition of cuc or a critter for example. I have had bubble algae, aiptasia, maybe dinos, gha, vermetids, little cute white starfish I think they all still exist in the tank

THIS. SO MUCH THIS! I keep things in check with water changes and a bit of elbow grease when needed.

 

[Midrats]

If you want to try the KZ Coral Snow, save your money and just buy powdered calcium carbonate, it's the same thing. As far as introducing vermetids goes, I have never seen them come in on real live rock, and I looked at thousands of pounds of Fiji when I was in the trade. LPS corals are the main suspects, Euphyllia in particular.

 

[Reefahholic]

Ditto here. My current (frag) tank has them bad. Horrible little beasts that are always cutting my fingers when I reach in to adjust something. I am surprised they have not given me a horrible tank disease!

In my previous tank, I had then as well, but like the other poster, they just vanished on their own. I don't remeber doing anything intentional. Though I did have a couple of bumble bee snails in that tank. Come to think of it, I moved the surviving bumble bee snails over to the frag tank when setting it up, but they have now perished (tank has been up 5 years). I wonder if their presence was keeping the vermitids in check?

I guess I will get more bumble bee snails and see if they can turn the tide.

I agree finding a way to combat these would be awesome. I have been trying to work out away to avoid transfering the vermitids between tanks.

I started with all live tissue in my tank at first (excluding hammer and candy canes), but the live rock brought them in.

 

[flsalty]

I don't consider them pests. Problem solved lol

 

[Midrats]

I started with all live tissue in my tank at first (excluding hammer and candy canes), but the live rock brought them in.

More likely the hammer or candy cane