Vermetid snails.

ezhdg41 · Nov 20, 2021

I am so disappointed tonight. I have put so much effort into my reef tank. Everything is doing good and looking nice but for some time I’ve had noticed little tubes on my rock. I didn’t research or think it was a bad thing but looked into it thinking it may be something good. Nope my tank is infested with vermetid snails. They are everywhere.

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Bumblebee snails eat them... I tossed a bunch in the frag tank to handle it for me.

TastesLikeChicken · Nov 20, 2021

Or just cut them with a sheer at the base.

ezhdg41 · Nov 20, 2021

jgirardnrg said:
Bumblebee snails eat them... I tossed a bunch in the frag tank to handle it for me.

Did you have a lot of them?

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Tons... they're picking away at them. How big is your tank?

ezhdg41 · Nov 20, 2021

90 gallons. I thought it was doing great. I had no idea this was bad. I have a bunch of them.

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Throw some in... I threw 6 in a 40g frag tank and they're busy munching away.

Reefahholic · Nov 20, 2021

The best thing to get them OFF the rocks are emerald crabs. They scrape the rocks with their special pinchers.

There’s also a product that’s called KZ Coral Snow that is to suppose to starve them out.

Bumblebee snails are hit and miss with more missed than hit.

I’d say about 80-90% of reef tanks have them.

Reefahholic · Nov 20, 2021

jgirardnrg said:
Throw some in... I threw 6 in a 40g frag tank and they're busy munching away.

Please get some video of this. Would love to see that.

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Reefahholic said:
The best thing to get them OFF the rocks are emerald crabs. The scrap the rocks with their special pinchers.

There’s also a product that’s called KZ Coral Snow that is to suppose to starve them out.

Bumblebee snails are hit and miss with more missed than hit.

I’d say about 80-90% of reef tanks have them.

My bumble bees are munching away. I didn't know emerald crabs ate them as well... good info thank you

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Reefahholic said:
Please get some video of this. Would love to see that.

I don't have any "before" footage... I just see less vermetid snails than before. And tonight when I was doing maintenance I was finding them on pieces I took out doing their jobs.

Reefahholic · Nov 20, 2021

I’d love to see just 1 YouTube video of a bumblebee snail actually Munching away on a Vermetid.

I don’t think it exists. If it does, please post it up here. I’m not talking about bumblebee snails crawling around in a tank with Vermetid snails…I’m talking footage of a Bumblebee snail actually eating the Vermetid snail.

ezhdg41 · Nov 20, 2021

jgirardnrg said:
I don't have any "before" footage... I just see less vermetid snails than before. And tonight when I was doing maintenance I was finding them on pieces I took out doing their jobs.

I’ll try bumblebee snails and emerald crabs. I also read six line wrasse help. I also read that you can laser them. I have no idea how to do that.

ezhdg41 · Nov 20, 2021

ezhdg41 said:
I’ll try bumblebee snails and emerald crabs. I also read six line wrasse help. I also read that you can laser them. I have no idea how to do that

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Reefahholic said:
I’d love to see just 1 YouTube video of a bumblebee snail actually Munching away on a Vermetid.

I don’t think it exists. If it does, please post it up here. I’m not talking about bumblebee snails crawling around in a tank with Vermetid snails…I’m talking footage of a Bumblebee snail actually eating the Vermetid snail.

I'll do my best...
The rock I took out earlier with GSP on it has a ton on the bottom and there was a bumblebee right in the middle of them

Lost in the Sauce · Nov 20, 2021

ezhdg41 said:
90 gallons. I thought it was doing great. I had no idea this was bad. I have a bunch of them.

Don't get down on yourself man. I had a bunch in my tank but they never seem to expand. I went fallow, pulling all my wrasses out for two and a half months after a velvet outbreak and the snail population went crazy. I've got nearly 50 bumble bees in there now. It's a manageable thing You just need to get ahead of it.

ezhdg41 · Nov 20, 2021

As I was trying too take a picture of vermetid I noticed some weird white stuff on base of my hammer.

Gtinnel · Nov 20, 2021

I had never heard that emerald crabs eat them either, now I'm even more glad that I just added an emerald crab to my tank.
OP if the vermetids aren't bothering any corals then they're really not that big of a deal. If there are a lot of them just start scraping them off your rock.

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2021

Reefahholic said:
I’d love to see just 1 YouTube video of a bumblebee snail actually Munching away on a Vermetid.

I don’t think it exists. If it does, please post it up here. I’m not talking about bumblebee snails crawling around in a tank with Vermetid snails…I’m talking footage of a Bumblebee snail actually eating the Vermetid snail.

I'll pull that rock out tomorrow and see if the snail is still under there. I have 30 year old branching hammer colony that was loaded with them and only see a couple now. SOMETHING in there is taking care of them. The only inhabitants other than corals are one hippo tang, a ton of Torches snails and a half dozen bumblebee snails.

Reefahholic · Nov 20, 2021

jgirardnrg said:
I'll pull that rock out tomorrow and see if the snail is still under there. I have 30 year old branching hammer colony that was loaded with them and only see a couple now. SOMETHING in there is taking care of them. The only inhabitants other than corals are one hippo tang, a ton of Torches snails and a half dozen bumblebee snails.

I’d love to see anything eating one. If you catch what’s eating them on video, I’ll paypal you $10.