Vermetid Snails in "no risk" Coralline Algae Bottles - BBW

[CMO]

Here is the rock that came inside one of the bottles to prove it's viability. The tank this went in is 100% clean dry rock with no seed rock for the exact purpose of keeping stuff like this out.

Here is the exact description of the product:

"Though heavily inoculated with beneficial microbes, Coralline Algae in a Bottle (unlike seed material scraped from someone else's rock) poses no risk of introducing pests or parasites."

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Let me reach out to ARCReef and see what we can do.

 

[anonomous09]

Wouldn't that be an issue with the manufacturer and not AlgaeBarn?

 

[CMO]

Wouldn't that be an issue with the manufacturer and not AlgaeBarn?

The product is described as being package live the day of shipment, so if Algae Barn shipped it, presumably they packaged it as well? I bought one set directly through Algae Barn and another through Saltwater Aquarium, the one purchased from Saltwater Aquarium also shipped from algae barn so presumably they are packaging it the day of shipment...

"Every order is bottled on the date that it ships"

 

[mfollen]

This happened to me as well. Pretty sure I saw colonial hydroids in my bottle too!

 

[CMO]

This happened to me as well. Pretty sure I saw colonial hydroids in my bottle too!

Oh no! ugh, I hope there's not bryopsis in there too...

 

[AlgaeBarn]

The product is described as being package live the day of shipment, so if Algae Barn shipped it, presumably they packaged it as well? I bought one set directly through Algae Barn and another through Saltwater Aquarium, the one purchased from Saltwater Aquarium also shipped from algae barn so presumably they are packaging it the day of shipment...

"Every order is bottled on the date that it ships"

The Coralline we purchase directly from ARCReef(we place an order Monday and receive it Tuesday) and we ship those bottles Tuesday and Wednesday (on a rare occasion Wednesday). These bottles are filled by ARCReef on Monday. Any extra bottles at the end of the week we discard(as required by our contract). We do not modify the contents or package it here. We have reached out to ARCReef and we should receive an explanation shortly.

 

[CMO]

The Coralline we purchase directly from ARCReef(we place an order Monday and receive it Tuesday) and we ship those bottles Tuesday and Wednesday (on a rare occasion Wednesday). These bottles are filled by ARCReef on Monday. Any extra bottles at the end of the week we discard(as required by our contract). We do not modify the contents or package it here. We have reached out to ARCReef and we should receive an explanation shortly.

Well then I can understand your struggle as a middleman relying on others who are dropping the ball. I don't really want anything. Just frustrated and feel it's important to let the community know this product isn't as described. Vermetids are literally the #1 pest I wanted to keep out of this tank.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Well then I can understand your struggle as a middleman relying on others who are dropping the ball. I don't really want anything. Just frustrated and feel it's important to let the community know this product isn't as described. Vermetids are literally the #1 pest I wanted to keep out of this tank.

We completely understand the frustration and we really don't enjoy negative feedback, but it gives us the data we need to improve, even if we are just a middle man. I know ARCReef is crazy about quality(the owner and I discussed his product, how we would we would store it, ship it, etc for about 6 months before we sold a single bottle), so I'm confident we will get this resolved and we will work to ensure that remains an isolated incident.

 

[mfollen]

For the record I didn’t buy through algae barn but it was ARC reef

 

[CMO]

We completely understand the frustration and we really don't enjoy negative feedback, but it gives us the data we need to improve, even if we are just a middle man. I know ARCReef is crazy about quality(the owner and I discussed his product, how we would we would store it, ship it, etc for about 6 months before we sold a single bottle), so I'm confident we will get this resolved and we will work to ensure that remains an isolated incident.

Thanks for your efforts. I have a lot of respect for any company out there trying to reduce hobbyists' exposure to pests even though it was a failure this time. I sure hope reviews like mine above only help improve the product and not derail it as that is not my intent in posting this. Best

 

[Thales]

Is it possible that that is just a shell? No live snail?

 

[CMO]

Is it possible that that is just a shell? No live snail?

I guess so and I sure hope so. There were quite a few more all over the rock not shown in the picture above so a bit of a long shot. Speaking of vermetids, if you have any tips on these guys that would be a great topic for one your skimmate podcasts perhaps.... I really hate these things and would love to know how the pros deal with them... or don't and just ride them out...

This is the one pest that I've been unsuccessful in keeping out of my tanks until now (I hope). I think i finally figured out why though... you can't see the small ones! I always inspect, scrub and scrape my corals before going into the tank but here is what I found when putting a visually clean coral skeleton after cleaning under a microscope. Lots of micro vermetids remained! I now blast them with a wire brush on my dremel among other ridiculous measures... lol

No visual vermetids...

Vermetids!!

 

[Thales]

I guess so and I sure hope so. There were quite a few more all over the rock not shown in the picture above so a bit of a long shot.

Maybe they sterilize the rock before growing coralline on it? Still a long shot, but I hope.

Speaking of vermetids, if you have any tips on these guys that would be a great topic for one your skimmate podcasts perhaps.... I really hate these things and would love to know how the pros deal with them... or don't and just ride them out...

It is on the list! However, I see vermetids as ongoing maintenance, and have a suite of tools to crack them in place- dental picks to drive right down the hole and then twist, various needle nose pliers, various angled needle nose pliers, self closing tweezers, and even the laser.

This is the one pest that I've been unsuccessful in keeping out of my tanks until now (I hope). I think i finally figured out why though... you can't see the small ones! I always inspect, scrub and scrape my corals before going into the tank but here is what I found when putting a visually clean coral skeleton after cleaning under a microscope. Lots of micro vermetids remained! I now blast them with a wire brush on my dremel among other ridiculous measures... lol

No visual vermetids...

Vermetids!!

[/QUOTE]

The little ones are easy to break at least. I often hunt them after a big feed and track them down by the mucus webs.

 

[Midrats]

I never heard a peep about these in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, now they seem get a lot of attention. I feel like I need to start worrying about something I've never worried about before.

 

[Highgrade]

I picked up a couple bottles last month from @AlgaeBarn. Both the purple and the pink. Coralline has really taken off in the last week or so. As for pest, there were none present that I could see in each of the bottles.

 

[Travis Alderman]

I guess so and I sure hope so. There were quite a few more all over the rock not shown in the picture above so a bit of a long shot. Speaking of vermetids, if you have any tips on these guys that would be a great topic for one your skimmate podcasts perhaps.... I really hate these things and would love to know how the pros deal with them... or don't and just ride them out...

This is the one pest that I've been unsuccessful in keeping out of my tanks until now (I hope). I think i finally figured out why though... you can't see the small ones! I always inspect, scrub and scrape my corals before going into the tank but here is what I found when putting a visually clean coral skeleton after cleaning under a microscope. Lots of micro vermetids remained! I now blast them with a wire brush on my dremel among other ridiculous measures... lol

No visual vermetids...

Vermetids!!

Bumblebee snails eat vermetids.

 

[CMO]

Bumblebee

I've heard that but been hesitant to try them for 2 reasons - 1) I imagine I'd need a million of them - kind of like lettuce slugs technically eat bryopsis but are incapable of actually controlling it (no?) and 2) Reef Cleaners designates them as "Bad Snails". But I'll look into them more...

 

[Travis Alderman]

I've heard that but been hesitant to try them for 2 reasons - 1) I imagine I'd need a million of them - kind of like lettuce slugs technically eat bryopsis but are incapable of actually controlling it (no?) and 2) Reef Cleaners designates them as "Bad Snails". But I'll look into them more...

Well reef cleaners really knows their stuff. I will say mine spend almost the entire time on the rock work. I even place them near the vermetids and they go right to work on them.

There are also a ton of other sites that list bumblebee as their favorite type of snail. If any are on the sand you can just move them back up to the rock work. Plus they aren't the fastest little guys so it's not like they would tear through your sand like a conch would.

 

[Midrats]

So bumblebees are able to reach deep into a vermetid's tube with some kind of proboscis or something? If only sand micro fauna are at risk maybe I'll try them out.