Vermetid snails

[Lovefish77]

I am starting to see these guys more and more in my tank. Now mostly on pumps, on the back wall and on the bare bottom glass. So far i "think" they have not reached the rock work yet.
Read a range of opinions from them not harming much to being bad for the reef?
Any thoughts? Any natural predator to rip them apart?

thanks

 

[chefbuddy24]

Bumblebee snails have helped to keep mine under control but they are hit or miss. That and superglue to cover the rest I can see. Hope this helps

 

[Lovefish77]

Bumblebee snails have helped to keep mine under control but they are hit or miss. That and superglue to cover the rest I can see. Hope this helps

Cool will look into bumble bee. How about i reach with a sharp object like a flat head screwdriver and break the tip of. I think that thing would die, right?

 

[Bigdaddy05]

U have to crush them at the base other wise they just regrow the tip

 

[BigRed78]

Could try some kind of Toby puffer. They eat snails naturally. They are a luck of the draw for eating coral though mine doesn’t but I’ve heard it’s like a 5050

 

[Lovefish77]

Could try some kind of Toby puffer. They eat snails naturally. They are a luck of the draw for eating coral though mine doesn’t but I’ve heard it’s like a 5050

I have lot of corals not sure a puffer is valid, no?

 

[Lovefish77]

U have to crush them at the base other wise they just regrow the tip

Any tool or tricks to crush them at the base? You just need some leverage (depending on where they are in the tank) and the proper tool.

 

[RDH]

I'm flooded with them. Even with them on most every surface, they don't really do much to the livestock. Only time I really mess with them is if they're growing on/close to a coral skeleton. I have 3 or 4 bumble bee snails but they don't really do much.

 

[rkpetersen]

They'll retract deep into their tubes when you approach them. I use a heavy duty forceps to break off the tube at the base, and then jam an awl into the hole to destroy the actual snail. Works great. Don't like the superglue method because the ugly tube is still there, even uglier now with a superglue cap.

 

[BigRed78]

I have lot of corals not sure a puffer is valid, no?

Most puffers no. However Toby puffers are reef safe with caution. In my experience the haven’t niped at my corals but they have done so for others. It’s just somthing you would have to monitor.

 

[Macbalacano]

I crush the small ones when I can with tweezers. The big ones I just superglue them shut. Seems to work well. I feel like they can be similar to Aptasia (not as bad) in terms of spreading, so I like to get rid of them as soon as I notice one. They are most irritating to me on my clam's shell or on my LPS's skeletons.

 

[Lovefish77]

I crush the small ones when I can with tweezers. The big ones I just superglue them shut. Seems to work well. I feel like they can be similar to Aptasia (not as bad) in terms of spreading, so I like to get rid of them as soon as I notice one. They are most irritating to me on my clam's shell or on my LPS's skeletons.

I will leave for a hard plastic tool/piece to crush them. I also have small super glue tubes that i can use inside the tank on them and then discard it.

Thanks ..keep the tricks and input coming

 

[vetteguy53081]

Snap off at the base using needlenose pliers or similar- Not in the middle or theyll come right back
Bumble Bee snails are hit and miss and they do and will eat other cleaner snails in the tank.
If you have Vermetid you cant reacj to snap off- a dab of Gel super glue over the hole works also.

 

[Lovefish77]

Good news, just spend the last hour taking most visible ones off. Turned off the flow, scraped with a razor then picked with tweezers. Here is the harvest

 

[Yates273]

I second the bumblebee snail I bought a few and I have seen my population dwindle. I have seen the snails on the tubes which I’m assuming he is eating them. Whenever I fed coral food it looked like spaghetti in the tank which is now gone.

 

[krash7172]

Any tool or tricks to crush them at the base? You just need some leverage (depending on where they are in the tank) and the proper tool.

Stainless steel dental pick

 

[Lovefish77]

Stainless steel dental pick

I was able to successful dislodge them with the flass blade cleaner then i pick them out.

 

[Bigdaddy05]

Any tool or tricks to crush them at the base? You just need some leverage (depending on where they are in the tank) and the proper tool.

I use cuticle nail trimmers to cut/crush them where I can see them lol always have some lol

 

[sam2110]

I brought a stainless steel dental plaque pick. its great because its a 45° from the handle and very pointed, I just stick it in and mush it around. They don't come back in the same place. If I get one on a coral, out come the long nose cutters.