Vermitid snails
- Thread starter Ruzoko
- Start date
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biecacka
Valuable Member
Yeah many people have pointed out that bumble bee snails either don’t work, or it’s hit or miss. Most I have seen say they don’t work. The vermitid snails seem to have no predators that we are aware of. They also are usually harmless from what I see people reporting….
corey
corey
Jgill70
Active Member
I have been manually removing their tube and my shrimp eats the snail. Their webs seem to irritate my corals
biecacka
Valuable Member
Yeah, if something can get to the snail there are plenty of predators. But most can’t or don’t seem to want to try and get through the shell. And yeah in some cases they do irritate the corals. I had them in my last set up and did everything I could to rid my tank of them too.
corey
corey
areefer01
2500 Club Member
Because they really don't work. Most replies with regards to bumblebee snails is anecdotal at best. Even then they are a predator snail and will go after others which would be an easier source of food. They are used often in freshwater tanks for this very reason.
Two options:
1. Manual removal upon first sight. Stay on top of it. Dental pick or forceps at base. Not the tube but rather bust it up and remove the base. If you don't remove the base/foot touching the rock it will be back in short order. Nuke it fast.
2. Live with it. Ugly and a burden when working on the tank but more often than not not a huge issue to corals.
If you go the route of the 2nd choice you can also ease up on feeding to try and starve them out while manually removing. Limit broadcast feeding of things like reef roids or similar coral foods. May help reduce but once you have them they are going to be around for a long, long time.
Waynefish
New Member
In my experience bumblebee snails will eat vermetids but I discovered a few things along the way.
My QT has live rock with vermetids. I added some bumblebee snails along with a bunch of hermits. I added pellets to keep the hermits alive. I believe the bumblebee snails also ate the pellets so they had no interest in the vermetids. When I brought the hermits to my main tank I left the bumblebees in the QT and stopped feeding pellets. I then noticed the vermetids disappearing.
Here’s a video of a bumblebee working on a vermetid: https://photos.app.goo.gl/T8uiUCswHG4GqYBn7
My QT has live rock with vermetids. I added some bumblebee snails along with a bunch of hermits. I added pellets to keep the hermits alive. I believe the bumblebee snails also ate the pellets so they had no interest in the vermetids. When I brought the hermits to my main tank I left the bumblebees in the QT and stopped feeding pellets. I then noticed the vermetids disappearing.
Here’s a video of a bumblebee working on a vermetid: https://photos.app.goo.gl/T8uiUCswHG4GqYBn7
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OP
OP
Ruzoko
Active Member
Looks like ima go hunt down some bumblebees i have a ton of tiny feathers i wanted to keep alive but idc anymore thr vermitids are getting outta hand and i dont think the snails will bother my huge duster
This. I had vermatids and got a couple bumblebee. The snail did nothing until I controlled my feeding, basically hand fed the fish and starved the tank. After about 2 months, no more vermatids. Funny, it never ate the mini dusters. The bumblebee even had babies. Now I've got 2 more baby bees
damsels are not mean
Valuable Member
Do bumblebee snails eat vermetids? I have never seen any actual evidence. Everyone says to buy them for vermetids but I have never heard "I got bumblebee snails and my vermetids died"
Honestly for me I have seen them wax and wane. I think only the bigger ones do any damage because I have never seen corals be irritated by the small ones even right next to each other. The only reliable way to remove is to crush them or to feed less messy foods if possible. I am 99% sure everyone has at least the small ones because I have received multiple on frag plugs before.
I should add when I started feeding a little more carefully they kind of just went away. There are still some but if they seemed to be irritating anything I could easily crush the few left. There is a thick one in the back that I let grow because it's fun to see the tube get long but it can't hurt anything back there
Honestly for me I have seen them wax and wane. I think only the bigger ones do any damage because I have never seen corals be irritated by the small ones even right next to each other. The only reliable way to remove is to crush them or to feed less messy foods if possible. I am 99% sure everyone has at least the small ones because I have received multiple on frag plugs before.
I should add when I started feeding a little more carefully they kind of just went away. There are still some but if they seemed to be irritating anything I could easily crush the few left. There is a thick one in the back that I let grow because it's fun to see the tube get long but it can't hurt anything back there
Jackal799
Community Member
I recently had an issue to these jerks. I took my rock out, whipped out my pocked knife, and stabbed them all into oblivion. Gotta rip out their souls, drop the stone cold stunner, whatever it takes, to remove them but so far no sign of their return. I feel your pain.
Uhh, I'm pretty sure I just said exactly that, along with another poster.Do bumblebee snails eat vermetids? I have never seen any actual evidence. Everyone says to buy them for vermetids but I have never heard "I got bumblebee snails and my vermetids died"
Honestly for me I have seen them wax and wane. I think only the bigger ones do any damage because I have never seen corals be irritated by the small ones even right next to each other. The only reliable way to remove is to crush them or to feed less messy foods if possible. I am 99% sure everyone has at least the small ones because I have received multiple on frag plugs before.
I should add when I started feeding a little more carefully they kind of just went away. There are still some but if they seemed to be irritating anything I could easily crush the few left. There is a thick one in the back that I let grow because it's fun to see the tube get long but it can't hurt anything back there
