Hey all,

I've had my 55g set up for almost 10 weeks now and I am about to add some corals. Recently I noticed a 1 cm growth of something on my LR, and I suspect it may be a coral of some sort, but I am not sure. Perhaps unrelated was a mucus web surrounding the growth within which were a few critters (larvae?), off-white in color and tube shaped (with rounded ends) that appear to wriggle slightly and move around at will. I found a few more of these critters lodged in a particularly dense patch of micro-algae, wriggling about with the same behavior.

The upper part of the growth seems to have a slight recess from which it seems a couple of feelers extend. I cannot confirm this since it is so tiny and any movement is augmented by tank flow.

The attached picture depicts the growth, as well as one of these tube shaped critters (slightly out of focus) just to the bottom right edge of the growth.

Any assistance in identifying this is appreciated.

http://homepage.mac.com/svanzo/.public/unidentified1.jpg

Can't ID it but, that's one of the wonderful things about LR. You never know what critters will suddenly appear. Try a different angle picture if you can.

Dick

Can't ID it but, that's one of the wonderful things about LR. You never know what critters will suddenly appear. Try a different angle picture if you can.

A belated thanks Dick,

I was trying to get another angle of this with my SLR, and am having a problem using my macro at an oblique angle to the tank glass. I am not sure if the incident angle of the glass (and its diffraction) is affecting my focal plane and making it very difficult to get decent focus on the subject. I did not try a top-down shot due to lack of time, but I will try that soon.

I noticed another mucus web nearby, this time around what at first glance was a worm tube. There was also a similar larvae-looking thing wriggling nearby, and two antennae protruding from the tube. Very similar to the previous critter, except that the base (tube) was very different from the brown mass of the other (see picture above).

I therefore did a search for "tube worm tentacles web mucus" and was quickly led to a 10 year old reefs.org (Shimek) article on Vermetid Snails (http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/0897/0897_8.html). Another more recent 2005 article (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php) (also by Shimek) appears in ReefKeeping.

Several key similarities exist between the critters I found in my DT and the articles. The mucus "feeding" web, the two tentacles, the tube growth form of the second critter, and even the larvae are mentioned as leaving the parent and finding a new home in the substrate. There are supposedly over 100 different species of Vermetid snails, so perhaps one has the growth form of the first specimen.

There are warnings that Vermetid tubes can be very sharp and therefore should be handled with care. Vermetids reproduce very well in marine aquaria, but it is possible that they can reproduce to problematic numbers, infesting plumbing and clogging pumps!

I just found another TR thread about Spiroglyphus annulatus (http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/snails-crabs-others/5125-id.html). My initial specimen's shell could also be described as a "pile of poop", as mentioned in the thread. It seems as though I may have a real problem here? I was hoping these snails would be benign to beneficial...

I had 1 in my 120, then I had 4 or 5 then a dozen or more. I went on an extermination spree with a pair of pliers and haven't seen one since. I was a bit alarmed at the rate they were reproducing. They weren't causing any visible harm (although I understand their mucous webs can irritate some corals), but I wanted to stop them from taking over.

I have 2 sizes of them and they seem to ebb and flow. I have not had any problems with them.

I have 2 sizes of them and they seem to ebb and flow. I have not had any problems with them.

Thanks Pearson, Carmie,

Calfo (p.197 from Reef Invertebrates) seems to indicate that Vermetid snails are fine reef-safe residents that can contribute to a tank's bio-diversity. As long as tank husbandry/sufficient export mechanisms are in place, their presence should not reach plague proportions.

For now I may just keep a close eye on them and their migrating larvae.

vermetid snail was my guess from the description you let. I have a gazillion of them!!! with no ill effects just adds to the biodiversity of the tank. the only bad thing is the little tube when it breaks off becomes very sharp. I have pricked my fingers numerous times grabbing a piece of rock or something. but other than that have had no problems with them in there

vermetid snail was my guess from the description you let. I have a gazillion of them!!! with no ill effects just adds to the biodiversity of the tank.

Thanks! I'm mostly worried about what I read about them clogging pumps, but it sounds as if you have not had this problem.

I've never seen one on a pump.