What the heck is this

[Lisasfishies]

Bought a new zoa rock... but that rock was a clam shell.. I opened and split the clam and cleaned out the inside so it's just the shell... BUT this tube like thing was still on it... and theres a creature inside.... I tried breaking it off originally with no luck & this creature seems to be casting webs... WHAT IS IT

 

[KJ]

Vermetid snail.

 

[Lisasfishies]

Vermetid snail.

How do I kill it? Do I need to kill it?

 

[NatD]

Yes. Break off the tube and smother with a dab of super glue.

 

[Bfragale]

Filling the tube with glue works and will starve it to death. If you can remove the rock, and pry off the whole thing from the base i think even better. The snail lives in the base, so just breaking off tube wont kill it. Either remove base or seal it into the shell. This one looks big, like a mother snail. These are invasive pests and hard to rid the tank once infested. Generally they are smaller but can multiply pretty fast. I'm battling them as we speak lol. Some people don't mind them, to me they look ugly especially when there is a lot of them. Plus they let out a mucus "Net" to catch things in the water column, and this net can irritate near by corals. but they are a common hitchhiker. Most dips wont kill them, best to physically inspect frags, remove any found, put frag on a new plug if possible and quarantine to avoid them. good luck

 

[Lisasfishies]

Filling the tube with glue works and will starve it to death. If you can remove the rock, and pry off the whole thing from the base i think even better. The snail lives in the base, so just breaking off tube wont kill it. Either remove base or seal it into the shell. This one looks big, like a mother snail. These are invasive pests and hard to rid the tank once infested. Generally they are smaller but can multiply pretty fast. I'm battling them as we speak lol. Some people don't mind them, to me they look ugly especially when there is a lot of them. Plus they let out a mucus "Net" to catch things in the water column, and this net can irritate near by corals. but they are a common hitchhiker. Most dips wont kill them, best to physically inspect frags, remove any found, put frag on a new plug if possible and quarantine to avoid them. good luck

Thanks!!! I was able to get of all the zoas and put them on another frag rock and just took it out completely!!!

 

[skipcurl]

How do I kill it? Do I need to kill it?

Ugg. I just read up on these guys. They are nasty. I think I only had a couple. Now I got hundreds. I started with Dry Rock and live sand. Did I get them from the live sand or was it a hitchhiker on one of my corals. I am going to eventually start a bigger tank once I figure this out and some other things. I keep saying that but I keep getting new challenges. Since this is a small tank, I guess I could get all the rock out and put in another small tank and slowly move my coral back over. Can I starve these guys?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I've had vermited snails for many years, I don't mind them at all. At first there was a population explosion and it freaked me out. But their numbers thinned and nowadays the few I have keep my water clean and don't seem to bother anything. The only bad part is getting pricked if I pick up the wrong rock