What are these white things on my hermit crab?

Meglovin · 01/27/2013, 10:46 AM

I noticed these a few weeks ago and posted about them, but since, they seem to have gotten a bit worse and increased in number. I got a short video of what they look like. At first I thought it may have been mold, but I tried scraping it off and its solid. I haven't been able to remove any from the shell.

Any ideas?

http://youtu.be/G5Q1wWuPNTQ

phenom5 · 01/27/2013, 10:54 AM

Do they move? Or are the hard/ stationary?

Hard to say from the vid, but my first guess would be some sort of vermatid snails. Harmless filter feeders.

Meglovin · 01/27/2013, 10:56 AM

They have not moved. The amount of "white dots" has increased on the hermit, but they are hard and stationary.

Meglovin · 01/27/2013, 10:58 AM

By the way, I think you may have added the wrong avatar. Here's a better one for you.

phenom5 · 01/27/2013, 10:59 AM

Booo!!!

I fear no trident. ;D

thegrun · 01/27/2013, 11:01 AM

They look like vermitid snails or spirorbid worms, harmless filter feeders. They can be easily removed by scraping them off if you want.

Meglovin · 01/27/2013, 11:03 AM

How hard would I have to scrape to remove them? I tried using my fingernail last night to remove one and it wouldn't come off; then again, I wasn't using a ton of force in fear that it would damage the crab.

cloak · 01/27/2013, 11:07 AM

It looks kind of like a spirorbid worm to me. I would just leave it alone.

Meglovin · 01/27/2013, 11:08 AM

That seems to be the general consensus lol. I'll leave them. I was just concerned that it may have been something harmful to the crab.

Thank you everyone!

Sk8r · 01/27/2013, 12:27 PM

Vermetids. No problem. They'll come and they'll go in your tank according to water conditions.

01/27/2013, 10:46 AM	#1
Meglovin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: USA Posts: 48	What are these white things on my hermit crab? I noticed these a few weeks ago and posted about them, but since, they seem to have gotten a bit worse and increased in number. I got a short video of what they look like. At first I thought it may have been mold, but I tried scraping it off and its solid. I haven't been able to remove any from the shell. Any ideas? http://youtu.be/G5Q1wWuPNTQ

01/27/2013, 10:54 AM	#2
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,096	Do they move? Or are the hard/ stationary? Hard to say from the vid, but my first guess would be some sort of vermatid snails. Harmless filter feeders. __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: DSA 155 Pro \| ATI Sunpower \| ATB 840 v2 \| Apex \| Wav

01/27/2013, 10:59 AM	#5
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,096	Booo!!! I fear no trident. ;D __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: DSA 155 Pro \| ATI Sunpower \| ATB 840 v2 \| Apex \| Wav

01/27/2013, 12:27 PM	#10
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Vermetids. No problem. They'll come and they'll go in your tank according to water conditions. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/27/2013, 10:56 AM	#3
Meglovin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: USA Posts: 48	They have not moved. The amount of "white dots" has increased on the hermit, but they are hard and stationary.

01/27/2013, 10:58 AM	#4
Meglovin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: USA Posts: 48	By the way, I think you may have added the wrong avatar. Here's a better one for you.

01/27/2013, 11:01 AM	#6
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	They look like vermitid snails or spirorbid worms, harmless filter feeders. They can be easily removed by scraping them off if you want.

01/27/2013, 11:03 AM	#7
Meglovin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: USA Posts: 48	How hard would I have to scrape to remove them? I tried using my fingernail last night to remove one and it wouldn't come off; then again, I wasn't using a ton of force in fear that it would damage the crab.

01/27/2013, 11:07 AM	#8
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	It looks kind of like a spirorbid worm to me. I would just leave it alone.

01/27/2013, 11:08 AM	#9
Meglovin Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: USA Posts: 48	That seems to be the general consensus lol. I'll leave them. I was just concerned that it may have been something harmful to the crab. Thank you everyone!