ID this weird tubed animal....

agoutihead · 09/14/2007, 11:37 PM

alright this is on my new sun coral I just got the other day.

The base is twisted ring after ring until it gets to the tip, and then this little guy sticks it's head out every so often and has a few "things" that stick out.

He doesn't come out very far and only a little bit of these things stick out.

sometimes it has a string of what look likes spit hanging from it and floating in the water column with food particles stuck in it. (generally this "spit" happens while I'm feeding the sun coral.)

Should I just take some pliers and break him off? I guess it's not worth the risk.

He seems to be grown into the sun coral pretty good. so I might even break a polyp or two off if I were to remove him.

It is the thing between the two polyps at the top left. You can see it's "Curly" base between those two polyps.

thanks.

And yes that is a sweet blue porcelain crab in the background. (the one with the spots, not the crazy maze exo-skin)

Travis L. Stevens · 09/14/2007, 11:39 PM

I see a Porcelain Crab and a Tubastrea, but no tubed animal. Your description makes it sounds like a Vermetid Snail

Hop · 09/14/2007, 11:49 PM

Yank it out and break it off or superglue it shut before it reproduces! If it's a vermitid, they can be a pain!

agoutihead · 09/14/2007, 11:51 PM

in-between the two polyps at the very top left. Look between their base closely and you will see a "curly" shell/area and follow it up.

It does not move. I don't think it's a snail.

agoutihead · 09/14/2007, 11:52 PM

are you sure that's what it is?

what makes them a pain?

how would I know if it has reproduced yet? It's only been in my tank a few days and hasnt come in contact with any other live rock.

but it does have this string of spit coming off of it every now and again.

Travis L. Stevens · 09/15/2007, 12:10 AM

Oh, I see it now. It's a Vermetid Snail. Their food webs can be bothersome to corals that it brushes against, but doesn't do any direct damage. They also reproduce at a fairly rapid rate. When you have a tank that is filled with these and you try to grab a rock, you can get a painful poke. Typically just snapping them off with either kill them or hurt them enough that they won't come back out for a while until they recover. When they do, just snap the tube off again.

agoutihead · 09/15/2007, 12:16 AM

alright I googled that snail, and I think that is what it is.

this is the research I came up with from gastropods.com

These larger species tend to enter our systems on live rock or in coral, and are more interesting curiosities than any kind of pest. For some reason the larger species don't seem to proliferate as rapidly, though, and often remain as relatively solitary animals

but then that paragraph goes on to say...

A moderately large vermetid in the genus Petaloconchus is common in the Caribbean, and makes its way into aquaria now and then on aquacultured live rock. Given the appropriate conditions it is likely it will proliferate as well

The mucus they produce may be used as food by many other animals as well as by the producer.

the copious production of mucus strands may
irritate some corals. Generally, however, they are harmless.

. Similarly well-adapted for reef aquarium life, the smaller species are sometimes prolific to the point of being nuisances. However, in most tanks, they simply remain an example of a small, but highly successful, component of reef biodiversity

09/14/2007, 11:37 PM	#1
agoutihead Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 2,720	ID this weird tubed animal.... alright this is on my new sun coral I just got the other day. The base is twisted ring after ring until it gets to the tip, and then this little guy sticks it's head out every so often and has a few "things" that stick out. He doesn't come out very far and only a little bit of these things stick out. sometimes it has a string of what look likes spit hanging from it and floating in the water column with food particles stuck in it. (generally this "spit" happens while I'm feeding the sun coral.) Should I just take some pliers and break him off? I guess it's not worth the risk. He seems to be grown into the sun coral pretty good. so I might even break a polyp or two off if I were to remove him. It is the thing between the two polyps at the top left. You can see it's "Curly" base between those two polyps. thanks. And yes that is a sweet blue porcelain crab in the background. (the one with the spots, not the crazy maze exo-skin) __________________ Experience the Liquid Realm...

09/14/2007, 11:39 PM	#2
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	I see a Porcelain Crab and a Tubastrea, but no tubed animal. Your description makes it sounds like a Vermetid Snail __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

09/14/2007, 11:49 PM	#3
Hop Carpe Noctem!!! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Western Colorado Posts: 8,548	Yank it out and break it off or superglue it shut before it reproduces! If it's a vermitid, they can be a pain! __________________ Hop Current Tank Info: 300-gallon in-wall system (mixed reef)

09/14/2007, 11:51 PM	#4
agoutihead Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 2,720	in-between the two polyps at the very top left. Look between their base closely and you will see a "curly" shell/area and follow it up. It does not move. I don't think it's a snail. __________________ Experience the Liquid Realm...

09/14/2007, 11:52 PM	#5
agoutihead Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 2,720	are you sure that's what it is? what makes them a pain? how would I know if it has reproduced yet? It's only been in my tank a few days and hasnt come in contact with any other live rock. but it does have this string of spit coming off of it every now and again. __________________ Experience the Liquid Realm...

09/15/2007, 12:10 AM	#6
Travis L. Stevens Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Perry, OK Posts: 13,946	Oh, I see it now. It's a Vermetid Snail. Their food webs can be bothersome to corals that it brushes against, but doesn't do any direct damage. They also reproduce at a fairly rapid rate. When you have a tank that is filled with these and you try to grab a rock, you can get a painful poke. Typically just snapping them off with either kill them or hurt them enough that they won't come back out for a while until they recover. When they do, just snap the tube off again. __________________ Travis Stevens Current Tank Info: Restarting 28g Bowfront

09/15/2007, 12:16 AM	#7
agoutihead Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 2,720	alright I googled that snail, and I think that is what it is. this is the research I came up with from gastropods.com These larger species tend to enter our systems on live rock or in coral, and are more interesting curiosities than any kind of pest. For some reason the larger species don't seem to proliferate as rapidly, though, and often remain as relatively solitary animals but then that paragraph goes on to say... A moderately large vermetid in the genus Petaloconchus is common in the Caribbean, and makes its way into aquaria now and then on aquacultured live rock. Given the appropriate conditions it is likely it will proliferate as well The mucus they produce may be used as food by many other animals as well as by the producer. the copious production of mucus strands may irritate some corals. Generally, however, they are harmless. . Similarly well-adapted for reef aquarium life, the smaller species are sometimes prolific to the point of being nuisances. However, in most tanks, they simply remain an example of a small, but highly successful, component of reef biodiversity __________________ Experience the Liquid Realm...