Reef Discussion

[chimaera]

I have dozens of these little bastards in my tank, they cover my zoas with webs, trap mysis and other food, and generally just look ugly sticking their tubes everywhere. I was just putting up with them until I started seeing them appear on my acans, inbetween polyps, and also I think they are damaging one of my blasto heads as it is receded where one of these is growing.

They are tough cookies too - fairly hard to break even the tube, nevermind remove the base which I believe is required to get rid.

The only solution I have found through searches is to superglue them - but given the number and locations I don't really want to do that.

Anyone else dealt with these?

I also have a lot of the tiny red fan worms which I am sure suck up some calcium for the tubes, but they at least don't impact so much.

[edit]-here's a pic for those not familiar with vermetids - not my pic but a good illustration of the structure and their fishing nets.

 

[Buddy]

So that's what they are, I have one that pops up in one of my acans sometimes and making it retract.

 

[Miller]

I also have a couple
Never knew what they were
Ones really massive and lives in my green hammer
Maybe when I chop another couple head off it I will superglue it seeing as they do make a ugly mess
Not that u see with the hammer out but after lights out u see it

 

[chimaera]

Most of the time they are harmless, apart from creating that slightly ugly web, usually when you feed. But they are everywhere in my tank at the moment and pissing me off! haha.

 

[chrispc66]

They are a pain, and will become more common unless you take steps to control them.

I pop a little aqua kneadit in the tube....and that's the end of that.

I have 4 large ones at the moment, one I snapped off and dumped into the sump, 1 in a nice pink pocci and 2 in a galaxy colony that I'm keeping an eye on.

 

[Joshwaaaa]

I snapped a couple of tubes to mine off, and the hermit crabs made quick work of the worm itself. Only had a couple though

 

[Kharn]

I have / had lots of these little things but, over time the stomatopods find them, open them, then eat them :) lots of macro/micro fauna broken shells laying about so they obviously keep finding things to stuff down their mouths.

 

[chimaera]

Ah, so I just need a stoma and not feed it for a week. Just need to sacrifice my fish, pistol shrimp and anemone crab to do it ;)

 

[Kharn]

Ah, so I just need a stoma and not feed it for a week. Just need to sacrifice my fish, pistol shrimp and anemone crab to do it ;)

Yeah...although the pistol might put up a decent fight :D lol...

 

[chrispc66]

Lime wrasse, and most butterfly fish will wipe them out too.

Might not be an option for you though. Good luck with it.

 

[Agent M]

Anything that is indiscriminate about eating inverts will do the trick - a yellow-tip hermit crab is probably the mot appropriate suggestion I can think of for a nano, otherwise a six-line wrasse if you have the room? Can't remember how many litres the tank is.

 

[Kharn]

You know what I do find interesting though....the very strange and to date unprovable relationship between very large stomatopods and various smaller shrimps....

It has been noted that small shrimp like to gather in the vicinity of a large spearer, so much so that they crawl all over the spearers head without the stomatopod giving a care in the world...the only theory is that the stomatopods (with such high intelligence) have adopted (rather then evolved) the same technique that angler fish have except the stomatopods bait isn't a part of the spearer itself.

The spearer keeps the little shrimp safe by essentially not harming them but everything else that comes close is targeted, so the shrimp gather in safety yet the spearer only allows them to be in it's midst because the little shrimp bring potential prey for the spearer, with so many little shrimp crawling over the large spearers head they can essentially camouflage the spearer and once the fish/etc. moves in to pick off one of the tiny shrimp in the strange cluster...a pair of gigantic claws shoot out, a marvelous relationship and display of intelligence.

The only thing proven about it is that the little shrimp do NOTHING for the spearers other then act as bait, all stomatopods can reach and clean every part of themselves by themselves and they are notorious for storing food in their burrows so there is no scraps after meals just gets stuffed back into the 'fridge' sand walls of the burrow.

So I should correct myself when I say no other invert can live with a stomatopod although I don't think a domesticated spearer will take on a relationship with other little shrimp in an aquarium...

 

[chrispc66]

That's awesome....thanks for sharing....obviously very intelligent animals. I watched a very cool show on fox recently about octopus studies....very informative and a very intelligent character too. Cheers.

 

[Aspidites]

Six line cleared up mine, but then again I have a Coris Grimardi and that loves them as well.

 

[chimaera]

Thanks all, a six line would work in the size of tank I have. Just need to work out a) if it's enough of a problem to get one and if so b) whether one would get on with my other fish and how the bioload would be. I've always thought about having one, will have to read up on them some more too.

@Agent M - no hermits going in my tank, can't stand those little buggers! :p

 

[Kharn]

Yeah I wouldn't trust any crab unless it hosts a specific coral...your gambling with anything else no matter what others have experienced.

 

[NiCd]

Plus one for six line. you will also loose all your pods feather dusters ect though

 

[chimaera]

Plus one for six line. you will also loose all your pods feather dusters ect though

That's okay, I guess. I have a lot of tiny red dusters and a variety of pods, but rely on my snails to do most of the cleaning. I'll do some reading on them, need to ensure they don't touch snails, stomatella, pistol shrimp, acro crabs, anemone crabs ... and we'll be good.

[edit]looks like stomatellas are on the menu

 

[Joshwaaaa]

I'm regretting ever putting hermits in my tank. Only have a couple but they are annoying.

 

[NiCd]

They will smash your baby snails, but anything over 5mm will be safe.