Dear god! Help with Vermetids (tube snails)

[RoTTen2TheCore]

Can someone help me out? My live rock is INFESTED with Vermetids (tube snails) and i just cant seem to get rid of them. Ive tried smashing them and picking them off but it seems for every one i kill 3 more take its place. Is there something that eats them? I read that Copperbanded Butterfly fish might eat them.

 

[barbra]

I use toenail clippers and cut them off at the nub and then scratch the heck out of any remaining shell. I make sure I don't let the cut part loose in the tank because I have some unproven theory that they just latch on elsewhere and multiply by three.

It is true, every one can potentially become 3. I have not ever heard of a solution other than hand picking. If you come up with something I will be forever indebted.

 

[reefergeorge]

I have them all over my nano, and hate it. I will be following along to see what others say.
I have heard that six lines might help but have never tried.

 

[RoTTen2TheCore]

At this point even if i did go in with tonenail clippers it would take me a full day to actually clip them all.

I dont know about every 1 actually becomming 3 but i know that 2 months ago i only had a few, perhaps a dozen, which i smashed and scraped and now i actually have over 300 which are visible.

Oh i also read that someone found that his zebra leg hermit crab eats them.

 

[Thizzelle686]

Can anyone post any pics of what these guys look like?

 

[jmait769]

I've even tried to inject them with kalk slurry!!! I have gotten them under control a little by just daily knocking them off. They are from HELL!!! :mad2:

 

[Piper1]

Would any kind of high salinity dip to the rocks drive them out? I have no idea, just a thought

 

[K' Family Reef]

what problem do they create in the tank?

 

[Tylt33]

Best thread of the day.

 

[uscharalph]

I've got a couple here and there and never had any problem with them.

 

[arts007]

I had several that were more annoying than anything. I took a dab of superglue and sealed the entrance of the tube, this took care of the problem right away.

 

[StunnaShadez]

annoying spiderweb-like strings that they release to catch plankton/food. mines only release the webs whenever i disturb the sandbed. still annoying though when it covers my sps and PO'd them

 

[barbra]

I have a sixline and it is wholly uninterested in them. I will try sealing them up with superglue though, that sounds reasonable.

 

[jmait769]

Some more info. I like this quote from the article. No wonder I have a large population of hermits too!! :lol:

Fortunately, some fishes such as Copperband butterfly fishes, seem to eat them, and some hermit crabs will eat them as well. Eating these worm snails may well be the only truly beneficial effect of hermit crabs in aquaria.

Jay

 

[barbra]

I can't say that my 3 hermits are doing anything with them at all. Too bad....

 

[RoTTen2TheCore]

What kind of hermits do you have? I have read that zebra leg hermits will chew on them.

Superglue does sound like a good idea but wont it be toxic in my tank? plus i think it would be quicker to actually take out the live rock and just pick them off with a pair of scisors or knife, but i have other things on my live rock that i dont want to kill such as featherdusters and plants soooo im a bit scared to leave the rock on the table long enough for me to completely remove the buggers.

 

[jmait769]

I have a bunch of blue legged ones and two red legged hermits. That was a little tongue-in-cheek because if any thing they have only slowed the snail population down and I can confirm that they are not “attacking” them with all the gusto I would like!! I just knock the snail tubes off around any of the corals especially zoas.

Not an option for me to remove the rock. I would not want to try and superglue all of them. I may try it on a few of the larger ones however.

Jay

 

[sasscuba]

What harm do they cause? I have hundreds and they don't seem to bother anything......

 

[barbra]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10974520#post10974520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RoTTen2TheCore
What kind of hermits do you have? I have read that zebra leg hermits will chew on them.

Superglue does sound like a good idea but wont it be toxic in my tank?

I have blue-legged hermits.

Superglue is fine in the tank.

 

[jmait769]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10974794#post10974794 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sasscuba
What harm do they cause? I have hundreds and they don't seem to bother anything......

Basically they are just an irritant to corals and they can also clog plumbing. I had a mass of them on the back side of my CL suction screen and some of my SPS have encrusted around them and, to me, is unsightly. They are not a tank crasher or anything.

Jay