What is this?

[str8juizy]

OK, so I don't have a picture but I figure it is pretty common and someone can ID it based on my description. Tiny little pink & purple hard tube things coming off of my rock. These are fairly new but spreading fast. They are not in colonies, they are spread out in different areas. I squirted some water on a couple of them with my turkey baster when I was cleaning my rocks and I could see something retract back into the tube. I never see anything coming out of the tubes but most of them put out a tiny slime line that is annoying because it attaches to other things, kinda like a spider web. What are they and how do I get rid of them? Can I just pick them off?

 

[mojoreef]

Sounds like Vermetid snails. they dont do any harm and are actually a good filterer. DO a google search on the name and see if they look like it.


Mojo

 

[returnofsid]

Yep, Vermatid Snails. They cast a "net" out of their tube, to catch food, from the water column. Sometimes the nets can irritate corals. The tubes are brutal, on your hands, as they've VERY sharp.

 

[BigAl07]

They are a good part of your whole "System" but if you see their numbers increasing it's also an indicator that something is off in your system (ie over feeding).

 

[west coast reefer]

nutrients in your water will be the cause. I would leave them alone they are a healthy part of your system.

 

[str8juizy]

I looked it up and that's exactly what they are. My water specs are all great, I don't think I'm over feeding but maybe... I feed every night switching back and forth from frozen to pellets. I feed a liquid reef food a couple times a week and I dose with c-balance daily. My tank is 55 gallons and I do a 5 gallon water change every week. It's funny, I had been fighting hair algae for 2 months and it finally started going away a couple weeks ago. Almost the same time I started to notice the tube snails. I don't know if there is any correlation or not but my algae is almost gone.

 

[jrgilles]

yup thats what they are. Careful when cleaning around them. Sharp little guys.

Used to have a snail with one of these on its back, it was like a backpack cannon

 

[jill]

I have these too. Didn't know what they were so happy to have an ID.

Some of mine camp out right in the middle of my Acropora and Montipora and the coral ends up covering the tubes! Its really cool!

They do put out the little spidery web thing but it doesn't seem to bother any of my corals.