What is this on my Hammer?

[MarsReefer]

Is this something I should remove? I dipped it once in Bayer and once in H2O2 and QT'd for 45 days but its been in my DT for a week now and this reddish purple thing has shown up on it, with similar smaller ones off to the side. Should I scrape it off? remove the whole frag and scrape it off? leave it be?

 

[shakacuz]

vermetid snail (purple tube like things)

outside the tank you can peel/crush then off with your nails or tongs

 

[MarsReefer]

vermetid snail (purple tube like things)

outside the tank you can peel/crush then off with your nails or tongs

How bad are they? I have a few on corals that are encrusted and/or glued onto my rocks already. Will they kill my corals if I don’t get them out?

 

[shakacuz]

How bad are they? I have a few on corals that are encrusted and/or glued onto my rocks already. Will they kill my corals if I don’t get them out?

not kill, but irritate. they also spread quite easily once established

 

[MarsReefer]

not kill, but irritate. they also spread quite easily once established

Can I crush them in the tank or will that cause them to spread like aptasia? I got the ones off the hammer, a few on acans I can’t take out of the tank

 

[shakacuz]

Can I crush them in the tank or will that cause them to spread like aptasia? I got the ones off the hammer, a few on acans I can’t take out of the tank

i do not believe that’s how they spread

 

[Alexopora]

Crushing them is fine, and if you have any shrimp you’ll see them feasting on its remains.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

i do not believe that’s how they spread

It's not going to make them multiply but if the actual snail isn't killed/removed, then it will just land somewhere else and build a new shell...

 

[Ef4life]

it’s best to remove and manage them as best you can now before they explode in population.

But - ime the tiny ones like that don’t really bother coral at all, many stony coral species seem to grow right over them. They probably came into my tank on a hammer frag, and I’ve actually had a hammers tissue recede a bit and then recover and the Vermetid body was under health coral tissue with its tube sticking through and the coral was happy as can be. Stoney corals like montipora, acropora, and many others the growth rate can exceed the rate the tube can grow and eventually cover over it killing it.