How to reduce/wipe out vermetid snails?

Shooter6

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,681
Reaction score
1,450
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Bumblebee snails are 100% effective in my experience. 6-8 in a 180gal display that had 5-10,000 vernithid snails. Took about 3-4 months but they removed every single one!
I see people saying they didnt work for them, but its possible they didnt get the same Bumblebee snails.
 

zachturner

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 2, 2020
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Location
ontario
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Interesting, have you seen some nipping at the vermetids? I have an ornate leopard wrasse, but he doesn't touch them unfortunately.
I added a copperband butterflyfish to my tank about a month ago to get rid of a few aptasia I have. When I put it in the tank one of the first things I noticed it go after we’re the vermetid snails. I didn’t know what they were until I saw this post on ig and never knew they were bad for a tank. I always figured it was some type of worm. I’ve had a saltwater tank for a few years now and have always had them as far as I can remember but the copperband is the only fish I’ve seen eat them. The only other fish I’ve had that people recommend is a melenarus wrasse. I haven’t looked up whether copper bands are know for eating them or if I just got lucky. I don’t know if it’s fully killing them or if it’s just eating a little bit of them when they stick out of the shell but my copperband definitely likes them
 

MD84

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 17, 2020
Messages
27
Reaction score
15
Location
44272
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I added a copperband butterflyfish to my tank about a month ago to get rid of a few aptasia I have. When I put it in the tank one of the first things I noticed it go after we’re the vermetid snails. I didn’t know what they were until I saw this post on ig and never knew they were bad for a tank. I always figured it was some type of worm. I’ve had a saltwater tank for a few years now and have always had them as far as I can remember but the copperband is the only fish I’ve seen eat them. The only other fish I’ve had that people recommend is a melenarus wrasse. I haven’t looked up whether copper bands are know for eating them or if I just got lucky. I don’t know if it’s fully killing them or if it’s just eating a little bit of them when they stick out of the shell but my copperband definitely likes them
Thank you for sharing that. We have some good info on this thread.
 

TinyCoralReef

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
59
Reaction score
53
Location
Lincoln, NE
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The final method I've seen was adding coral snow to the tank. I haven't seen much people who didn't agree, but it hasn't been supported too much either. This makes me wonder how much of a solution this is.

How is the coral snow said to remedy this? What affect does it have?
 
OP
OP
Lowlandreef

Lowlandreef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
245
Reaction score
430
Location
The Netherlands
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
How is the coral snow said to remedy this? What affect does it have?
Vermatids "throw" their net out when there are suspended particles in the water column. They do the same thing when you add coral snow to the tank. Some people say it irritates/poisons the vermatids.
I don't know the science behind it, and have no experience with it. But this is what I've read about it. Apparently some people have had succes with it...
 

Reeferstin

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 7, 2020
Messages
118
Reaction score
48
Location
Naples Florida
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
High flow, my tank is very high flow 2400 gph return and 2 2300 gph wave makers i only see vermetids in the over flow and in the dead spots inbetween rocks, use a acrylic stick and smash them boom dead, bumble bee snails eat them big time also
 

Celestialreefer

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 30, 2020
Messages
23
Reaction score
3
Location
brownsville, texas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had a 2 pretty big vermetid snails on a new acro I recently bought, I broke off as much of the shell as I could with bone cutters and used a pin needle to kill it and remove. The frag also had many vermetid snail eggs and I used the needle to remove them all. Overall it worked great

20200901_181512.jpg
 
OP
OP
Lowlandreef

Lowlandreef

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
245
Reaction score
430
Location
The Netherlands
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
High flow, my tank is very high flow 2400 gph return and 2 2300 gph wave makers i only see vermetids in the over flow and in the dead spots inbetween rocks, use a acrylic stick and smash them boom dead, bumble bee snails eat them big time also
I have high flow as well, and some vermetids are directly in the stream of my powerhead...
I do think they prefer low flow areas, but it seems that it doesn't boter them too much.
 

Midrats

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
2,099
Reaction score
2,304
Location
Madison
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
How is the coral snow said to remedy this? What affect does it have?
Fine calcium carbonate acts as a flocculant, or clarifying agent, which binds fine particulates into a floc, making them easier for filtration to remove. It essentially starves the vermetids out.
 

Acros

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2020
Messages
2,104
Reaction score
1,911
Location
Greenville, SC
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
I have vermitids I got from a torch. They were multiplying fast. I added 4 bumblebee snails and the snails have not increased in number since. I also have a 6-line wrasse and a yellow coris wrasse. It has only been a month since I added the snails and the fish.
 

ApolloReef

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2020
Messages
35
Reaction score
26
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Coral Snow seems to help. The way I have found making it most effective is stirring up the sand bed and blowing off the rocks a few minutes before I add it. I think it messes with the nets the snails put out when there is something in the water column.
 

Radman73

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
Messages
1,514
Reaction score
1,715
Location
Winter Garden, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Dogface puffer. If you're willing to sacrifice a coral or 3, and I was, it will spend the day eating vermetids. At least, mine has. A near last ditch effort to clear the thousands of these things I have out before going with a nuclear option which would be to store fish in bins while I acid wash and bleach all rock AND replace all plumbing. My plumbing runs through a wall so I've never reached that level of desperation.

My Melanarus has never touched them. Bumble bee snails will but when you have thousands they out pace the snails easily. I've never seen one of my emerald crabs touch them. The dogface was eating them within 5 minutes of being added to the tank. So, if you have an expendable coral collection and a large enough tank, go for it.

FWIW, it destroyed my zoas and has seemed fond of my acan enchinata. I've seen it nip a normal acan and a monti once but haven't seen it go back to them. It's ignored any other SPS I have and has ignored a large hammer as well.

I am extremely happy and consider a few zoas an easy trade for a vermetid snail predator.

I may give the coral snow a try, especially in my fuge.
 

Shooter6

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
2,681
Reaction score
1,450
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No need to sacrifice corals, BUMBLEBEE SNAILS eat them. I literally hat thousands in my 180g. I put about 6 BUMBLEBEE snails in and within 3 months there wasn't a single vermid snail left. 3 years later and still none have returned.
 

Radman73

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
Messages
1,514
Reaction score
1,715
Location
Winter Garden, FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No need to sacrifice corals, BUMBLEBEE SNAILS eat them. I literally hat thousands in my 180g. I put about 6 BUMBLEBEE snails in and within 3 months there wasn't a single vermid snail left. 3 years later and still none have returned.
I think this is a YMMV situation. I put a dozen in my 100 gal and the vermetid's were still multiplying like there was no tomorrow.
 

ScottB

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
7,895
Reaction score
12,193
Location
Fairfield County, CT
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Bumblebee snails are 100% effective in my experience. 6-8 in a 180gal display that had 5-10,000 vernithid snails. Took about 3-4 months but they removed every single one!
I see people saying they didnt work for them, but its possible they didnt get the same Bumblebee snails.
I hope I got the right ones for my infestation. I cannot keep up with these darn pests. I will take out a rock and user bone cutters on them but a month later they are back.

I just dropped 18 of them in my 120G display.
 
Back
Top