What is this on my monti?

[neotactical]

It's like 2 tiny tentacles coming out of it like it's drilling from underneath to get to the surface? I have one other spot on my monti with a much smaller version but with 2 threadlike tentacles.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

It's like 2 tiny tentacles coming out of it like it's drilling from underneath to get to the surface? I have one other spot on my monti with a much smaller version but with 2 threadlike tentacles.

With the two tentacles sticking out, my guess is Coral Boring Spionid Worms - they’re technically harmless, but they have a tendency to grow to massive populations and look pretty ugly when they do:

Coral Boring Spionid Worms -- an ugly bane to SPS

This is not something I've ever seen before. They are extremely ugly. Mar the appearance of SPS. This is on a "Beach Bum" encrusting montipora. I would take aphasia or even montipora eating nudibranchs over this crap. I've beat those with hard work. Not sure how to eliminate these without...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[neotactical]

Do you know how to get rid of them? Aside from the quote above? I have them everywhere in my tank along with vermatid snails.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Do you know how to get rid of them? Aside from the quote above? I have them everywhere in my tank along with vermatid snails.

For the vermetids, some people report success with emerald crabs, bumblebee snails, coral snow (there's a DIY recipe on here somewhere for this that's super cheap - I believe it's made from chalk), etc. The following may be helpful too:

Some people swear by bumblebee snails for vermetids, others say they’re useless, and still more say they’re effective but only over long periods of time (like 8+ months long). It may depend of the species of vermetid you have.

The only things that I've read about which confirmedly prey on Vermetid snails are Carpilius convexus (a crab), Mancinella armigera (a muricid - A.K.A. murex snail), and Menathais tuberosa (another muricid snail). For hopefully obvious reasons, none of these are fully reef safe, as there's a very good chance they'll eat CUC and any bivalves you may have (and with the crab, pretty much any other invert they can reach may be in danger as well). It's presumed in the report I've read that other Carpilius spp. will eat them as well, and there are likely a number of other muricid snails that would eat them too. I have no idea if these would be coral safe or not though.

So, while they're not common in the hobby, you might be able to get some Carpilius crabs, or you could try getting some predatory snails and see if those help. Some of the smaller predatory snails may be able to reach places where fish would struggle to, but there's no guarantees. I've heard some people have luck with bumblebee snails, some with emerald crabs, and some with wrasse or butterflyfish (possibly pufferfish too) - those might work, but from what I've heard it's very hit and miss - as you've seen (it may depend on the species of vermetid). To my knowledge, though, none of the likely to succeed possible predators are totally reef safe. Either way, biological controls may help to limit the population, but I wouldn't expect a complete eradication.

Now, for the spionids, unfortunately, the following are the only suggestions I'm aware of that I haven't seen tried unsuccessfully (for hopefully obvious reasons, these sorts of methods are usually considered as a last resort):

According to a source I found on UC Berkley,


So within the coral itself, they are boring and budding inside the skeleton. But there are some other places in the tank its possible platonic larvae landed, such as the rock structure. Boring into coralline and forming tunnels. Being that they are planktonic in nature, it's probably a good idea to use a fine filter mesh.

What can predict their multiplication is TON (Total Organic Nitrogen) -- See study below. So dosing Amino Acids and Nitrates is probably a pretty bad idea in light of an infestation. Using a fine filter mesh could also reduce TON and reduce planktonic reproduction.






I have great news that someone has previously battled this issue. They used Interceptor. Another poster used Bayer. See this link.



So likely this is the route I am going to go before doing more dramatic things like doing a full Bayer Dip on the entire tank. LOL. Which would be a pain and absolute last resort. Regardless of what path, all inverts have to come out.

I was going to suggest ivermectin but you won't be able to keep inverts (shrimp, crabs, pods) for 6-12 months as it is THAT toxic. Ask me how I know ...

If milbemycin doesn't work, set up a small temporary tank and try ivermectin. You can buy it off Amazon, so it's readily available.

 

[sculpin01]

I would only use ivermectin external to the main tank, and that would require three external tanks: one for treatment, one for rinse, and one for decontamination with a lot of activated carbon. It is extremely toxic to all inverts (except corals) in minuscule doses. I also bleach any water containing ivermectin to try to chemically neutralize it prior to disposal, as its environmental half life is very long (e.g. don't just pour your waste down the drain).

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Idk what your system looks like but for this coral just frag the edge and call it a day

 

[Biologic]

Do you know how to get rid of them? Aside from the quote above? I have them everywhere in my tank along with vermatid snails.

Lol they are really really really bad. I made a bunch of posts about them. I just dont have time to deal with them right now.

They are growing in straight up coralline. Like these are not a joke. They are really really bad pests.