Vermetid Snail Invasion

[LPS_Blasto]

I found a vermetid snail on a new frag plug a couple months ago. I removed the frag and used a flat blade screw driver to chunk the snail off the frag plug. I made sure to get the body of the snail out and destroy it. I thought that was the end of my unwanted hitch hiker problem.

Well, seams that wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. Now I have vermetid snails growing on the shells of my astrea snails, on my frag racks, on my power heads, in my sump, in my overflow box etc etc. I would guess that I have about 300 of them in the tank and sump.

The tank is a reef, so harsh chemicals are an option, but not one I want to consider just yet.

Can anybody offer any suggestions on getting rid of them?

 

[Alysiak00]

take the snail rocks out and cover the tubes with glue. you will suffocate them to death. just keep up on it and your good

 

[TampaReefer79]

If you have a lot of rock, you can just cover each little hole with reef putty (epoxy). You don't have to take each rock out to do this.

 

[klepto]

Manual removal like you described with the initial post is the only effective method I have found. A sturdy pair of bonecutters can simplify the process because they make it easier to get fully underneath the snails' calcifying base- you have to remove the entire animal in order to stop this pest. Sealing them in as others are sharing works, but I hate the way they look and the risk for cutting your hands on them is still there with that method, so I opt to take them out completely.

Trying to reduce the available nutrients will help keep vermetid populations under control in my experience. They seem to thrive in heavily fed tanks.

 

[yukondave]

I've also heard of people having luck with bumble bee snails. I guess they will eat the other snails and those vermitid snails are easy targets