It just keeps getting worse

[PJs_Bucket_List]

I'm beginning to understand why so many new would-be reefers get out of the hobby in the first year. For me, it's not only disheartening, it's heartbreaking. I don't have time to walk away, give it a shot again in a year or two. I don't have TIME. I recently posted about something weird growing and covering my astrea snail's shell. Now I'm seeing it on several others. While closely observing the tank and trying to get a good picture of the snails (to get advice on here), I saw something on a frag. Based on previous reading, I knew what it was. Prayed I was wrong, but a little more reading and a few Google photos later confirmed it... vermetid snails! And what is really grinding my gears about it, is that this, along with most of the tank issues/pests I've been dealing with this far, can be traced back to ONE purchase! Two frags that I bought from the same person, early on in my reefing journey, when my tank was new and pristine, are the source of so many problems. I realize that some of them are kinda unavoidable and fly under the radar, but for others, they had to know about it, yet gave me no warning. Aiptasia, bryopsis/green hair algae (still haven't determined which, or if it's both), vermetid snails. I saw the feeding tubes they have on the frags when I got them, but as a clueless newbie I didn't know what they were, or give it a thought. Ultimately, I have to blame myself for not having a quarantine/observation tank... catastrophic newbie mistake... but it's still really upsetting that someone would do that to make a few bucks. Now I just have to scream, curse, and shed a few tears for a minute, then go into "attack the problem" mode. Ugh...in the ABC's of Reefing Problems, I've jumped from letter H to V, and just hoping I don't fill in the missing letters lol. Good grief! Thanks for letting me vent, and if anyone has some advice on how to deal with these things, I'd be grateful. Stay blessed, y'all.

 

[Jikkermanccini]

Man that really sucks. For many people, pests like those will end up 'normalizing' at a certain point and reaching a balance state where they aren't as prevalent, but early on they can be a nightmare.
The obvious answer of crush as many as you can is of course relevant; but another thing that I have noticed is that pincushion and tuxedo urchins will sometimes chew up the smaller ones. I know this because I used to have a lot of small vermetids in my aquarium, but the urchins mowed down their tubes whenever they grew and they ended up starving. Could be an option. Urchins will also restrict Aiptasia to rock crevices and should mostly take care of hair algae. Depending on the type, they might even attack bryopsis but no promises.
As far as my tank goes, I had to use Flux to get rid of my bryopsis. It was the cleanest, simplest chemical treatment I've ever done and ever since then I've never had an issue. The only pest that I currently struggle against is Aiptasia, and that's more of a management game haha.

You can win the battle, but it will not be your only one. I have faith you'll get through it though.

 

[hzheng33]

there are obvious pests such as aiptasia and bryopsis that can be treated and eliminated. however vermitids do not belong in that category. you will eventually end up having vermitids snail in your tank regardless of what you do (including clean rocks/clean frags/etc). they're NOT avoidable in my 10+ years of experience. you can crush whatever is visible to you but chances are they will still grow in your tank via various addition to your tank (usually via new frags or rocks)

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I've read that bumblebee snails are a natural predator for vermetids, but hadn't heard about the urchins as a possibility. All problems considered, I may have to get one. It would be a welcome addition, anyway.

 

[ecoreefguy]

I don’t think it’s anyone trying to make a buck. Buying anything live without QT is just risking stuff. I can almost guarentee you my tank is cleaner than most LFS, but would not recommend putting coral from it straight in after purchase. There’s alot of things we can’t see. Bacteria, spores, etc.

 

[Hunna]

Bumblebee snails are how I approached it. And while they haven’t completely eliminated them, I don’t find new ones very often anymore.

 

[mumra]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I've read that bumblebee snails are a natural predator for vermetids, but hadn't heard about the urchins as a possibility. All problems considered, I may have to get one. It would be a welcome addition, anyway.

I got a tuxedo urchin and he's the best. dude flys around the tank and picks up all kinds of stuff and wears it like hats.

 

[NAS]

If you do this long enough, vermetid snails are unavoidable in my opinion.

 

[Rainblood]

if you’re having a cow about vermetid snails - you’re definitely not going to make it in this hobby
As others have said - you’re going to get a lot of worse things even with QT…it’s just the nature of the hobby. You just have to balance it out naturally as best you can.
Vermetids? Get some bumblebees
Aptasia? Get some peppermints
Spaghetti worms? Learn to live with them
Bristleworms? Learn to live with them
IME flatworms are about the only things that you can nuke.

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

if you’re having a cow about vermetid snails - you’re definitely not going to make it in this hobby
As others have said - you’re going to get a lot of worse things even with QT…it’s just the nature of the hobby. You just have to balance it out naturally as best you can.
Vermetids? Get some bumblebees
Aptasia? Get some peppermints
Spaghetti worms? Learn to live with them
Bristleworms? Learn to live with them
IME flatworms are about the only things that you can nuke.

Unlike the pests and issues I've dealt with this far, the cow I had was temporary, and soon enough gone . Being new and lacking experience, it's a normal response...as long as it's short lived. I'm in "fix it/manage it" mode, and a pep talk from a fellow member did wonders for turning around any disappointment I was feeling earlier . I commented on another post how great this club has been to me in the short time since I joined, and I stand by that even more firmly now. Thanks for the input, everyone!

 

[PJs_Bucket_List]

I got a tuxedo urchin and he's the best. dude flys around the tank and picks up all kinds of stuff and wears it like hats.

I've read about that. With my creativity and hubby's humor, it would be one hilarious addition to the tank!