Vermitid Snails the good and the bad.

[chaostactics]

Pic: Hitchhiker vermetid on cerith snail

 

This are really neat creatures. Before I knew better I put 3 chunks of baseball to golf ball sized live rock with colonies in the tank. 

 

When trying to ID them I found mostly flat out hatred for these creatures. During move between two tanks i pulled the colonies and smashed every one I could find. 

 

However I have one cerith in my tank with a hitchhiker vermitid. It leaves a mess when it feeds occasionally but nothing the corals can't shake off in a few hours and it doesn't seem to leave any permanent damage. 

 

TL:DR

 

If you can isolate a small colony of these on a rock in an open area of your sand bed their cast net style of feeding is spectacular to watch, but keep them off your main rock work. Probably a complete no-go with apps. 

 

Warning article. 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/vermetid-snails-harm-coral-reefs-with-multiprong-attack

[ninjamyst]

if you have one, you will soon have hundreds

[burtbollinger]

i kill them every time i see one...I use probing tool...works like a knife through butter.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018A1X1VA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[ninjamyst]

32 minutes ago, burtbollinger said:

i kill them every time i see one...I use probing tool...works like a knife through butter.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018A1X1VA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

how do you exactly kill them with those tools?  I have hundreds of them all over...

[burtbollinger]

7 minutes ago, ninjamyst said:

how do you exactly kill them with those tools?  I have hundreds of them all over...

some of the tools are angled, and are very strong....and have a needle point, which is perfectly sized for inserting into the hole at the top of each tube....insert the needle probe into the tube of the vermitid, push down....and give it a vigourous twist...this destroys the snail down to the base...then simply twist again, and then perhaps give a few scrapes...the snail ceases to exist.  

bottom line, it will be common sense once you have the tool in your hand...these are the perfect tool for vermtid destruction.

[TheBig053]

15 minutes ago, burtbollinger said:

some of the tools are angled, and are very strong....and have a needle point, which is perfectly sized for inserting into the hole at the top of each tube....insert the needle probe into the tube of the vermitid, push down....and give it a vigourous twist...this destroys the snail down to the base...then simply twist again, and then perhaps give a few scrapes...the snail ceases to exist.  

bottom line, it will be common sense once you have the tool in your hand...these are the perfect tool for vermtid destruction.

Thanks Burt. I have had these proliferating in my EVO for a few months now and have been breaking the tips off the tubes when I find them during WCs. They don't seem to be bothering anything at the moment, but I would like to get them under control before it gets any more wide spread. This looks like an effective method for population control of this nuisance. 

[brianinak]

I have newer tank.  found one, puttied it up, found more, more putty, have scrapped off with razor blade also.  I think it is cool to find diversity in your tank, but no one seems to think having vermitid snails a good thing.  I like the tool idea.   

[Clown79]

On 13/11/2017 at 11:35 AM, burtbollinger said:

some of the tools are angled, and are very strong....and have a needle point, which is perfectly sized for inserting into the hole at the top of each tube....insert the needle probe into the tube of the vermitid, push down....and give it a vigourous twist...this destroys the snail down to the base...then simply twist again, and then perhaps give a few scrapes...the snail ceases to exist.  

bottom line, it will be common sense once you have the tool in your hand...these are the perfect tool for vermtid destruction.

Those are great! 

Thanks.

 

My 10g has tons of these and I have been snapping the tubes but it isn't a permanent solution. 

[Clown79]

On 14/11/2017 at 12:30 AM, brianinak said:

I have newer tank.  found one, puttied it up, found more, more putty, have scrapped off with razor blade also.  I think it is cool to find diversity in your tank, but no one seems to think having vermitid snails a good thing.  I like the tool idea.   

A few isn't a problem but when you have a lot, they become an issue with irritating corals.

 

I had very few in my 15g and there was no issue but my 10g has A LOT of them, the webbing was annoying to me lol and the corals.