Worm tube thing?

[Thumbster]

Just noticed this on a frag plug of zoas that I got a couple weeks ago. It survived a bayer and peroxide dip.
Looks to be some type of worm living in a hard spiraling shell. I have no idea what it is.
On the bright side, while zooming in on it I did see it eat a strand of dinos so not sure if it’s bad or not.
Any ideas?

 

[Troylee]

Vermatid snail.. crush it with pliers.. they shoot webs and irritate corals.

 

[Thumbster]

Thanks! Explains why those zoa’s haven’t been opening.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Maybe buy a couple of bumble bee snails to help predate them in the future. If you plan on continuing to buy coral, they will continue to show up.

Like an STD, they are the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[bluemon]

I've dealt with an absolute infestation of these a few times in the last decade.

Some tips for killing them:

If you are using pliers (which is best), don't crush up the top exposed straw tip, the vermetid will survive as they can retract all the way back. Try to destroy the tube as farm to the base as you can, and if you are lucky, you might even be able to grab the "meat" of the snail once you destroy it which some fish love to much up (wrasses especially)

If it is in a very inconvenient area, (like in between stalks of SPS or LPS), your best bet is to use gel super glue to "plug" the opening of the tube, wait around a week, and destroy the tube along with the dead snail inside.

 

[Thumbster]

I took the frag out and pryed the whole shell off with an exacto knife. It came off in one piece.
I then did another bayer and peroxide dip just because.

 

[bluemon]

I took the frag out and pryed the whole shell off with an exacto knife. It came off in one piece.
I then did another bayer and peroxide dip just because.

Nice, those type of removals are always the nicest. Although I would also open up the shell afterwards and feed it to fish because free nutrition!

Just be on the lookout for any tubes popping up in the tank since you don't want to deal with an outbreak