Vermetid snail conclusion

[nashorn]

I think some shrimp or fish will eat only if there's nothing else to eat.
So for most of us it's just not going to work.
Maybe if you're lucky you find one that prefer to eat the Vermetid snail than fed food.

[FishN00b83]

You can control the population by keeping the tank really clean. Blowing out the rocks with a baster every week during water changes will make the population a bit larger at first, but getting everything out that feeds them will eventually drop the number. I had them really bad, they were literally over every square inch of my live rock, now I don't have any, just the empty tubes everywhere. I also left my tank fallow for a while during an ich outbreak but I had them down to almost nothing before the tank went fallow.

Feed


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[Mr. Brooks]

Just to clarify for those who don't know. There are several types of vermetids. The type you need to worry about are the red/purple ones. They stay small, they reproduce quickly, grow fast and they can multiply in the thousands. Impossible to kill manually. Don't even try. It's a waste of time. Best solution is to start over. Sterilize everything. There's a microscopic stage in their life cycle. So without sterilization and QT of everything wet, you risk reintroduction.

[xREEFINaintEZx]

Befor I get to plauge proportions, has anyone tired a laser? I'm looking for reasons not to Shell out 500$ on one, but between the aiptasia and snails I might go for it. What do you guys think?

[ReefPharmer]

Originally Posted by Rich1Reef

I'm in the middle of a new build because of these things.

Originally Posted by xREEFINaintEZx

Befor I get to plauge proportions, has anyone tired a laser? I'm looking for reasons not to Shell out 500$ on one, but between the aiptasia and snails I might go for it. What do you guys think?

You aren't going to be able to get the vast majority of them. W the laser you may be able to get the ones facing you but they grow under rocks, on back sides of rocks, inside rocks ... you get the idea

[hotelbravo]

I have a video of my Goldentail Moray eating Vermetid Snails. He literally breaks them off and chomps them down. I posted it on one of the big Facebook groups. Idk how to post it on here

[captjab]

I wonder if a Bluethroat Triggerfish would eat them? Most Triggerfish eat barnacles in the wild so it may have a natural instinct to eat something like a Vermetids.

[Rich1Reef]

Originally Posted by ReefPharmer

You aren't going to be able to get the vast majority of them. W the laser you may be able to get the ones facing you but they grow under rocks, on back sides of rocks, inside rocks ... you get the idea

My rock is outside in the snow right now. Then it's going to sit through the summer. Then an acid wash. A long dark RO bake. Then dried again for aquascaping. Then cured.

There is nothing going in my tank ever again that I don't want to be there.

I'm even setting up a separate fish and coral quarantine tanks.

I just hope it's all worth it. Hopefully my new tank is filled and ready by December.

[2wheelsonly]

Originally Posted by Mr. Brooks

Just to clarify for those who don't know. There are several types of vermetids. The type you need to worry about are the red/purple ones. They stay small, they reproduce quickly, grow fast and they can multiply in the thousands. Impossible to kill manually. Don't even try. It's a waste of time. Best solution is to start over. Sterilize everything. There's a microscopic stage in their life cycle. So without sterilization and QT of everything wet, you risk reintroduction.

I love this...you can read constantly about these things about how they are harmless and just "bother" corals. Then once you get them you read a statement like this that basically says "throw thousands of dollars of corals and livestock away and start over".

Wrong answer even if you're right. Sorry, there has to be a way because no matter how slick you think your process is for preventing pests...it's bound to happen. I just refuse to believe reeftanks around the world can get a pest so bad it nukes the tank.

But props to the people in this thread mentioning these vermatid snails kill corals, they absolutely do and it infuriates me when people say they are harmless.

The last person that told me that was someone at a frag swap...annoying overweight greybeard know it all type that wore some silly knights of columbus hat with minions cartoon pins in it. Probably tries to pick up chicks on ham radio every night in between feedings on his 75 gallon algae infested softy tank of 25 years.

[Jonviviano]

I, like many am suffering from vermetid snail problems. I think this thread should be stickied to the top so we can work togther to come up with a solution.

[iced98lx]

I noted in another thread that high doses of LaCL repeatedly appeared to kill them based on casual observation. My theory is the precipitate causes their feeding response (webbing out) and then kills them. Not an in tank solution sadly.

I have a Yellow Wrasse (full grown, 5+ inches), a red stripe wrasse, a scopas tang, several crabs, several shrimp, tuxedo urchins... none of which appear to eat them.

Mine are being grown over/around by many of my SPS corals, but perhaps those snails are dead and it's just the tubes?

[smatter]

Originally Posted by 2wheelsonly

I love this...you can read constantly about these things about how they are harmless and just "bother" corals. Then once you get them you read a statement like this that basically says "throw thousands of dollars of corals and livestock away and start over".

Wrong answer even if you're right. Sorry, there has to be a way because no matter how slick you think your process is for preventing pests...it's bound to happen. I just refuse to believe reeftanks around the world can get a pest so bad it nukes the tank.

But props to the people in this thread mentioning these vermatid snails kill corals, they absolutely do and it infuriates me when people say they are harmless.

The last person that told me that was someone at a frag swap...annoying overweight greybeard know it all type that wore some silly knights of columbus hat with minions cartoon pins in it. Probably tries to pick up chicks on ham radio every night in between feedings on his 75 gallon algae infested softy tank of 25 years.

I'm a little overweight

[Mr. Brooks]

Originally Posted by 2wheelsonly

I love this...you can read constantly about these things about how they are harmless and just "bother" corals. Then once you get them you read a statement like this that basically says "throw thousands of dollars of corals and livestock away and start over".

Wrong answer even if you're right. Sorry, there has to be a way because no matter how slick you think your process is for preventing pests...it's bound to happen. I just refuse to believe reeftanks around the world can get a pest so bad it nukes the tank.

But props to the people in this thread mentioning these vermatid snails kill corals, they absolutely do and it infuriates me when people say they are harmless.

The last person that told me that was someone at a frag swap...annoying overweight greybeard know it all type that wore some silly knights of columbus hat with minions cartoon pins in it. Probably tries to pick up chicks on ham radio every night in between feedings on his 75 gallon algae infested softy tank of 25 years.

There are types that you can live with that are relatively harmless. Then there's the type that I battled with for 5 or 6 years. Sure I could've admitted defeat and just lived with it, but I didn't want to look at or work on a tank jam packed with thousands of red/purple vermitids on everything. Including pumps, plumbing, skimmer, heaters EVERYTHING. That was my choice. I will say, wait until you see a plague before tearing your tank down. If there's only a handful in your tank, you probably don't have the type you need to worry about. If you have hundreds or thousands, don't do what I did, I'm telling you, I wasted well over a hundred hours of my life that I'll never get back. I would've saved a ton of time if I had just started over to begin with. Also, I was able to save most of my coral and fish. I cut frags and Bayer dipped all of them. I rinsed the fish in several buckets of new tank water. It worked for me. I QT EVERYTHING wet now, including snails. I am vermetid and ich free.

[zheka757]

i know this is old thread, but any known new cures for vermetid snails? i just dont want to start new thread.

[ravenmore]

Damn dude - this is like what, a 12 year old since last reply thread?

[ravenmore]

And honestly I've never thought of them as that big of a problem to begin with.

[goldmaniac]

OP here. Glad to see that this thread is still being used as a resource.

I can still say that my tank never had vermatid snails after my yellow wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) hit them in 2010. In the time that I've seen responses, I don't think I've heard of anyone repeating my success with this species. BUT those replies are few, under 10 or maybe even only 5 other people reported in.

My total number of experiences was 1. I never had the opportunity to repeat the test, in case the snails came back. Remember, in another thread, I mention - my yellow wrasse took a nosedive and perished while carpet surfing. If he hadn't gotten them all before his Leap of Death, and they came back, I was going to try to repeat with the same species, but the vermetids never returned.

This was my posting about the success with Halichoeres chrysus -- it's already posted somewhere else here

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1927977

My advice? get a reef-safe wrasse for the tank that's appropriate with your other fish and inverts, and see if he goes after the vermetids. Doesn't have to be Halichoeres chrysus. I have a 7-line wrasse right now that may be keeping them in check in my 120 gal, I don't know. I never see any of these things anymore.

good luck -

G.

[zheka757]

you think you can help me pick one?
here is my list of live stock
tangs: achillies, powder blue, powder brown, hippo.
royal gramma
copperband butterflyfish
chommies
anthias
Kaudern's Cardinal
3 blood shrimps
2 cleaner shrimps
some soft corals
some lps
alot sps

[goldmaniac]

That's a really nice list - that's an impressive community. The assortment of tangs is particularly terrific.

Looking at the list, I see the powder blue, the hippo, and the copperband bfly as the most delicate fish in there - and the Achilles? I never was able to pick up an Achilles Tang. They're a favorite of mine, too.

The copperband is just hard to keep due to eating requirements. If you have that going well, Kudos to you, and he's probably not going to get stressed too much.

The Hippo and Powder Blue are particularly prone to ich, and it's my personal opinion that stress is the primary culprit with those two species. IF it was me, I'd want to pick a docile reef-safe wrasse to keep stress levels down.

You do already have a royal gramma, which, if it's a small tank, may beat up any similar-shaped fish that you add, including a small wrasse.

SO.. again, if it was ME, I'd want a community wrasse as to not upset the hippo and the powder blue (and the Achilles, I think, they may be delicate, I never had one), but also something that could stand up for itself to the Royal Gramma.

I wouldn't get any fairy wrasse, they're too different than what I've had success with. Maybe a 4-(Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia)or 6- (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)or 12-line (Macropharyngodon meleagris)wrasse, or a Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris) or a Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) ?

I know it is very common, and he may not fit into your extraordinary collection, but the 6-line may be the easiest candidate to try. Cheap, bulletproof, and particularly non-aggressive. I currently have one that I inherited and he just cruises and causes no trouble at all.

Fortunately, the Yellow Wrasse I've been promoting (Halichoeres chrysus) is also pretty tough, docile, and cheap. he's currently on LiveAquaria for $15. I found the ones I've had to be pretty reef-safe, as well.

Hope this helps -

G.

[zheka757]

thank you for a long reply!
I like your idea of trying one wrasse at the time to see what works,
for me this might be even best option. i have frag tank connected to my main display that also have vermetid snails, and i already have 6 line wrasse in there, but he is not interested.

[hkgar]

Originally Posted by zheka757

you think you can help me pick one?
here is my list of live stock
tangs: achillies, powder blue, powder brown, hippo.
royal gramma
copperband butterflyfish
chommies
anthias
Kaudern's Cardinal
3 blood shrimps
2 cleaner shrimps
some soft corals
some lps
alot sps

How large is your tank?

[ThRoewer]

I just got 2 figure-8 pufferfish I plan to train to eat those pests. Not that they actually need much training as it is kind of their natural food - just some pointing in the right direction. The only issue is to keep them from eating the good snails, shrimp, crabs,...

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[zheka757]

Originally Posted by hkgar

How large is your tank?

400 gallons, 8 feet long

[lionfish300]

Originally Posted by ThRoewer

I just got 2 figure-8 pufferfish I plan to train to eat those pests. Not that they actually need much training as it is kind of their natural food - just some pointing in the right direction. The only issue is to keep them from eating the good snails, shrimp, crabs,...

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How the pufferfish do?

[ThRoewer]

Originally Posted by lionfish300

How the pufferfish do?

I just switched them over to saltwater. So far they haven't shown much interest in the few snails that are in their "training" tank. So far they even ignored the snail I smashed for them. I guess they need to get a bit more hungry for their natural instincts to kick in as they probably got too used to being fed.

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