Overran with vermetid snails

[anoriega211]

Hi folks, I've searched and read up on others' experiences with vermetid snails and it sounds like there's no sure fire natural predator that will eat these things. That it's hit and miss with copperbands, and some wrasses. I guess I'm just posting to vent my frustration... I really wish there was a way to get rid of these things, they're covering my rock work. Anytime I'm doing anything in the tank I snap as many of their tubes as I can. I know that doesn't kill them and it's the base that needs to be crushed, but I'm at least making it a little more difficult for them Their strings are all over making a mess of the tank! I've read that they slowly die off for some folks, but mine are rapidly reproducing and spreading. I have a couple new Lyretail Anthias so I've been feeding the tank more than normal to make sure they're eating, which I'm sure the vermetids are enjoying. But their population was doing good prior to this increase in feeding. Someone needs to invent a "vermetid snail be gone" product!

Ok... I'm done with my rant. If anyone has any suggestions to help with this infestation in my tank I'm all ears!

Andres

 

[pufferpoison]

a pair of pliers does wonders.

 

[italquam]

I have had no luck with mine, pliers won't be too easy for a few hundred in a tank. I have been trying to find a fish to eat these suckers

 

[anoriega211]

Yeah that's the situation I'm in. I can get some with pliers but there's literally hundreds of them on my rocks, even on my snails and emerald crab. All over the back of the rocks, inside all of the nooks and crannies where even needle nose pliers wouldn't fit.

I'm tempted to toss the rocks and start over but restarting the cycle would be a problem. And it's not like I can move one or two rocks out and replace them because they'll be covered in vermetids in no time too.

 

[italquam]

Almost makes me want to get a new fish tank....lol....but I am determined to find something that eats them.

 

[kikoreefer]

I know it's a lot of them but a syringe with kalk paste will work but then you run risk of spiking your alk. I would boil some rodi and pull it into a syringe and boil them to death that would be sweet lol

 

[italquam]

I read somewhere to use bumble bee snails to eat them

 

[Calappidae]

The population will increase until it starves out. basicly your breeding it by over feeding.. the more food the more snails.

Lower feeding, remove them manually, and hope they don't come back.


@Italquam My bumblebee snails never touched my single vermetid nor has it touched any of the much smaller snails in the tank. The size ratio isn't in it's favor.. however it may stop new growths while they're tiny... I think

 

[Whiterabbitrage]

I read somewhere to use bumble bee snails to eat them

I read that too. Ordered a dozen and crossed my fingers.
Two months later I can now say I've witnessed their behavior enough to confidently report that no, Bumble Bees do NOT eat Vermetid Snails
nor do they eat Bristle Worms.

They do however eat Zoas.
:worried:

 

[vega77]

My Forcipiger flavissimus ate em all.
Unfortunatly it also started to eat corals when the vermetid snails were gone.

 

[pagojoe]

I read that too. Ordered a dozen and crossed my fingers.
Two months later I can now say I've witnessed their behavior enough to confidently report that no, Bumble Bees do NOT eat Vermetid Snails
nor do they eat Bristle Worms.

They do however eat Zoas.
:worried:

Nothing personal, but.... I DISBELIEVE lol

I have seen 10's or 100's of thousands of Engina species, including E. mendicaria, and they are so far removed from the habitat of zoanthids that I find it extraordinarily difficult to believe that zoanthids are a natural prey. In fact, as widespread as Engina species are, some of them would surely have happened over into the zoanthid section of the reef and stuffed themselves...and stayed there because the eating was good. As you probably know, zoanthids are resistant to being eaten by all but a few well-documented species of snails.

As for putting a tiny Engina in with a monster Serpulorbis, of course it can't kill and eat it. Engina mendicaria is found in the splash zone on boulders that are covered with tiny vermetids and spirorbids. They can't eat algae, so I suspect that you'd find their food species to be the ones mentioned above, possibly along with small barnacles, unless there are some other really tiny animals that they are eating. They are obligate meat eaters.

One species that is documented to feed on vermetids, including larger ones, is Latirolagena smaragdula. They are common on the reef, and easy to collect, but they are fairly large and not very attractive. Not to mention, they may kill other snails. Occasionally one gets imported into the aquarium trade, but it seemingly doesn't happen very often.

http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_4787.shtml

Cheers,



Don