Vermatid snails vermetid worms predator -

[goldmaniac]

Hey everybody!

I listed two spellings of vermatid snails in order to help others' searches.

I think I found a predator of vermatid snails!
For those of you not familiar, consider yourself lucky. mine are 1/4" long hollow tubes of shell, created by vermatid snails, who function similar to a featherduster, except they just emit sticky threads that cover rock, zoas, and other corals. They are not technically a pest, as they don't prey on anything other than passively catching bits of food/detrius in the water.

they look like this:

<img src="http://www.goldmaniac.com/fishtank/vermatid2.gif" border="0" alt="">

and the tubes cover/covered my live rock. Imagine handle live rock with lots of thumb tack points all over them. They're ugly, too. thousands of them.

In 3 or 4 or 5 threads on RC, there's never been a solid solution. Well, I think i MAY have found an example to a solution.... this is my experience, but my YELLOW CORIS WRASSE (Halichoeres chrysus), seems to have eaten them all. I've had him for about 2 years now and there aren't even any hollow shells left on the rock. I've noticed that they've been gone for at least 6 months, but I moved last week and I took the tank apart and was able to get a good look at the live rock. No punctures from the snails' tubes, and none visible on the rock.

<img src:"http://www.reefforum.net/photopost/data/603/TG27.jpg border="0" alt=""">

This is only my experience, and there have been occasional stories of other carnivores taking care of these things, but I believe that my statement here is as definite as any other witness account that I've seen on the Internet, let alone RC.

I hope this helps the cause of spionid snail destruction.

Eric G.

 

[James404]

This would be great news, I hope you are right! Can anyone else give some insight to this? I have heard of other predators possibly being emerald crabs and coperband butterflys.

I hate these things with a passion.

 

[Texxxx]

My Yellow Coris Wrasse has not touched any of my Vermetids. I wish he would!!

 

[goldmaniac]

edit: VERMATID snail destruction.

 

[klepto]

Very interesting! What and how often are you feeding your wrasse?

 

[goldmaniac]

Yes, I have seen a report or two of each of these eating vermatid snails, but still the majority of reports saying they don't eat any -

CBB
red scarlet hermits
emerald crabs
peppermint shrimp

Klepto: I feed the tank pretty heavily, actually. I'm not starving the wrasse, or anything.
Formula One flake
Spirulina flake
Cyclop-eze freeze dried
occasional frozen Formula A or Mysis shrimp

 

[goldmaniac]

and before I moved last week, here's a list of the fish in my tank. as you can see, none of these other fish are a realistic candidate for eating vermatid snails:

3 ocellaris clowns
blonde naso tang
chocolate mimic tang
Lamark's angelfish
flame hawkfish
twinspot blenny
firefish
spotted mandarinfish
and the yellow coris wrasse

<img src="http://www.reefforum.net/photopost/data/603/TG27.jpg" border="0" alt="">

 

[kendo]

is the yellow coris wrasse reef safe? I have a yellow tang,Bristle tooth tang,six line,yellow tail damsel, and a clown fish, would they get along? I also have a huge population of those snails.Ive been considering getting a copperband.

 

[goldmaniac]

yes, the yellow coris is reef safe. I have SPS, LPS, zoas, snails, all is well.

I can't vouch that the yellow coris won't fight with those other fish, especially the 6-line. he's pretty docile, though... he doesn't mess with my firefish or my little twin spot blenny or my mandarinfish. Th

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

is the yellow coris wrasse reef safe? I have a yellow tang,Bristle tooth tang,six line,yellow tail damsel, and a clown fish, would they get along? I also have a huge population of those snails.Ive been considering getting a copperband.

The six line wrasse will probably harrass the coris wrasse. Might even kill it.

 

[kendo]

Ok thanks.
Maybe I'll try the copperband, hopefully my yellow tang wont harass it too much.

 

[Palting]

Careful with the copperband. Like most butterflies they are "Reef caution", not realy "reef safe". They have been known to munch on SPS , anemones, and polyps. They are also difficult to feed. If you get one, make sure you see it eat at the lfs first. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+25+212&pcatid=212

 

[skibum9884]

So, those that think the Yellow Coris could be a good fish to eat these vermetid snails, do you think it's specifically halichoeres chrysus or would any of the halichoeres would be good for this type of maintenance?

 

[becon776]

Interesting.... I have lots of.vermatids... if you lax on tank.care the webs or the.broken ones will collect green slime off the glass. What I want to know iabhas anyone Actually SEEN the fish eating them?

 

[goldmaniac]

My claim that I found something is eating vermatids is focused on my Halichoeres chrysus. I have not had success with any other wrasses, and I've had a a tank for about 11 years.

I have watched my yellow coris wrasse picking at the rock constantly, but I never paid attention to WHAT it was eating. I bought it for pest control, as I had purchased some corals and just wanted to make sure that I wasn't importing flatworms or acro eating nudis or red bugs or something. I didn't hope or expect it to affect the vermatid population.

Hey - I don't even claim that Halichoeres chrysus is a species that eats vermatids, only that THIS yellow coris wrasse is eating vermatids. It has been such a problem finding ANY predators for these things through the years that I don't want to make any claims that I can't back up.

As it would happen, this thread is 2 weeks old and this yellow wrasse jumped through the screen on my tank and dried out this weekend. RIP. Now I'll be able to see if the vermatids come back, or if they're gone completely, or if there's no change at all and something else has demolished the population. I'll report back. More to come.

 

[klepto]

tragic. Sorry to hear about your jumper. It looked like a lovely fish. Even more lovely if it was indeed keeping your vermetids under control. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have been interested in this species for a while...

 

[goldmaniac]

Thanks Klepto

other than carpet surfing, this fish is pretty much bulletproof. I have a surprisingly difficult finding them for sale. I highly suggest one -

 

[dogreef]

My pistol shrimp does a really good job of cleaning vermetids off all the rocks around his burrow. I don't know if he's eating them or just house cleaning, but he manages to keep his burrow entrances cleared.

 

[aleonn]

Hmm very interesting! I've got too many vermatids in my 37g. I'd love to get rid of them before upgrading tanks. Would the yellow coriss wrasse be a threat to my stomatella snail population? I've got like 80 of them, up to 0.5" in length.

 

[goldmaniac]

I don't know if the stomatella snails would be dinner for this guy. Keep in mind that he IS a coris wrasse, and they are pretty predatory genus. I didn't see mine eating my bumblebee snails or nassarius (sp?) snails.