Vermetid snails?

[Nate1984]

These are taking over my tank....



Are they Vermetid snails? Or something else?

[Sounds Fishy]

All I see is some tube worms

[cloak]

+1 Vermetid snails.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

[Nate1984]

Ok so they are definitely Vermetid snails. Damn. How do I keep them under control?

[TxAdamFitz]

Lower nitrates. Maybe over feeding? Had them all over, casting their webs all over my tank. I used to knock them off the rocks with a scraper. Drove me crazy. Once the nitrates came down, they went away mostly. Haven't seen any webs in a few years.

[Nate1984]

As of now and regularly.

PH 8.2-8.4
SG 1.024
DKH 9.0-9.6
MG 1350-1360
CAL 440-460
Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0

They may be sucking up the nitrates I'm not seeing. I am cutting back on feeding as much as possible. I rarely see the slime nets. I don't mind them so much since I am a fan of biodiversity. I'm more concerned about them becoming excessive. I guess I will start trying to cull them skittle when I am doing water changes. I was hoping for something that would eat them but from everything I have read there is nothing that really feeds on them.

[oseymour]

Originally Posted by Nate1984

As of now and regularly.

PH 8.2-8.4
SG 1.024
DKH 9.0-9.6
MG 1350-1360
CAL 440-460
Nitrates 0
Phosphates 0

They may be sucking up the nitrates I'm not seeing. I am cutting back on feeding as much as possible. I rarely see the slime nets. I don't mind them so much since I am a fan of biodiversity. I'm more concerned about them becoming excessive. I guess I will start trying to cull them skittle when I am doing water changes. I was hoping for something that would eat them but from everything I have read there is nothing that really feeds on them.

Vermetid Snails don't suck up nitrates, they are filter feeders. I had an outbreak but over time they went away on their own. I did break the tubes when I saw them.

[Nate1984]

Yeah today was Vermetid Armageddon. I smashed as many as I could find. I hope they find a balance.

[Ah64av8tor]

Originally Posted by Nate1984

Yeah today was Vermetid Armageddon. I smashed as many as I could find. I hope they find a balance.

I'm not bashing... but if you truly want to balance out the quantity of Vermetid snails you will have to remove their main food source . They are Detrivores and catch detritus from the water column with their sticky webs.

The more food the more snails. less Detritus less Dertrvores plane and simple.

I personally am in the same boat, trying to rehab an old setup that was neglected for a few years.

What I'm doing:

Increasing flow to keep detritus suspended to move as much as possible over the over flow and into the filter sock.

Periodic change of flow and blasting of rocks with a power head.

I have vacuumed out the top half inch of sand and sediment from my DT, fuge and half of the RDSB in my sump. Not all at the same time as to do as little impact to the bio filter as possible.

Frequent water changes and vacuuming up as much accumulation as possible. I may end up with a bare-bottom tank before its all said and done

Daily change of filter sock and twice daily on the days I blast the rocks or do a water change.





I know that I will never remove them totally and don't care to, they are part of a healthy cleanup crew. I have scraped off a lot but not just for spite if they are in the way or cut me they are gone

[Nate1984]

Yeah that is pretty similar to my approach minus the vacuuming. I was hoping to slow reproduction by smashing as many as I could. They came from a nano I had for 8 years. They seemed to find a balance there but went into overdrive in my 95.

[nuttyd]

Heard there are some kind of wrasses that will eat them. Kind of hit and miss, like angels that dont eat coral. Particular species was yellow coris

[Nate1984]

Yeah I did look into them but I'm not sure I have enough sand depth. Only about 1-2" would that be enough for a wrasse?

[nuttyd]

thats about what i have and the lemon meringue is doing fine. helps i have a pistol shrimp that likes to pile up the sand in places.

[jgraz]

I love reading about the amazing things wrasses do. People always seem to hear about them doing things but never have first hand knowledge. Show me a wrasse that can sip through a straw and maybe then I'll believe a wrasse will eat these.

The only luck I have had with these is to feed less. They are not only detrivores but they take the fresh food too. Crushing/breaking the tubes will not kill them. If you break the tube close to the rock, you will see the snail crawl away....fast. if your fast enough you might be able to kill it. if you don't see it come out then you can bet its still in there and it will just rebuild. The other way is to just inject the tube with a thin kalk paste. but you need to find a delivery system. Most syringes are to narrow to work. Occasionally I will just hit the opening with a touch of glue.

[Nate1984]

I have read extensively on all the methods. I am just reducing feeding and hoping they find a balance in the tank. I just don't have that kind of patience to glue or Kalk them. Smashing them was more therapeutic than anything I read that it would do little to nothing.

[Reeferz412]

My Melanurus Wrasse has slowly destroyed them. He rips them out and destroys the tips. I didnt believe it until I saw it. I didnt even purchase it for that reason but hey, kills two birds with one stone. Im trying to see if my new white banded possum wrasse will follow suit.

[Reeferz412]

I have also seen my solerensis (red head) eat them as well. I think he followed what the four line wrasse did tho.

[Nate1984]

What depth sand bed do the wrasses require? I also have a rimless tank.... I heard wrasses can tend to carpet surf.

[Ah64av8tor]

Originally Posted by Reeferz412

My Melanurus Wrasse has slowly destroyed them. He rips them out and destroys the tips. I didnt believe it until I saw it. I didnt even purchase it for that reason but hey, kills two birds with one stone. Im trying to see if my new white banded possum wrasse will follow suit.

I have had a possum wrass for over 5 years and have yet to see him hit on anything. There are plenty of pods everywhere and all I see is him cruzeing around. I'll look into the Melanurus for sure!

[Reeferz412]

Originally Posted by Ah64av8tor

I have had a possum wrass for over 5 years and have yet to see him hit on anything. There are plenty of pods everywhere and all I see is him cruzeing around. I'll look into the Melanurus for sure!

thats interesting because I have read that they take out bristleworms, flatworms, even nudis. Oh well, cool fish none the less.

[Reeferz412]

Originally Posted by Nate1984

What depth sand bed do the wrasses require? I also have a rimless tank.... I heard wrasses can tend to carpet surf.

Melanurus has a small tupperware in the frag tank with sand to sleep in. They can be trained to sleep in there. Its about 2 inches of sand. My frag tank is open top and have 4 wrasses in there. None of them have hopped. The melanurus is the only one that doesnt freak out if I drop something in the tank or pass it. So they are less prone to jump imo. They have great personalities.

[Ah64av8tor]

Originally Posted by Reeferz412

thats interesting because I have read that they take out bristleworms, flatworms, even nudis. Oh well, cool fish none the less.

Like I said I have never seen him hit on anything, I don't have many bristle worms .....hum. Maybe

[Reeferz412]

Only time will tell, maybe it will follow suit with the four line and melanurus.

[chefbill]

I heard that bumble bee snails eat them. I add 12 to my 90g and they seem to be going away. FWIW I also have a melanarius, yellow coris, exquisite, McCoskers and blue sided wrasse in the tank

[Nate1984]

I went to three LFS guys today. Two of which I trust lol. One of the three said that the wrasses may eat my snails and hermits, any experience with that? Would a melanurus and a yellow coris work well together in a tank? I like both of them and have plenty of tank space. I just don't want any wrasse drama or snail hermit genocide.