Vermetid Snail infestation
- Thread starter 14 foot reef
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Biologic
Active Member
A lot of these posts making suggestions on "how to get rid of them" obviously don't have a problem with them. Otherwise, they'd know they are impossible to get rid of. "reduce your particulate matter"?? Seriously? How laughable. I run a very high flow SPS tank. No sand. I change my filter socks -- everyday. Everyday. I don't feed reefroids and alike. I feed a small amount of pellets daily. I have a couple of small damsels and one tang. Vermenteds are pure survivors.
Onto serious suggestions:
The one thing that has not been suggested yet is chemical intervention. I've seen reports of people using ivermectin to kill SPS pests, red bugs and alike, which ended up killing all the snails in the tank, including all inverts. I am willing to do this to get rid of them. I will set up a new tank, just for the inverts to live, until I can test slowly by adding an invert one in at a time weeks after treatment. Even then, the snails will have to be taken to a LFS to live out their life there. You can't get the larva that might be on their shell or active small worms.
What's worse is coral boring spionids, I've posted about them a few times.
Onto serious suggestions:
The one thing that has not been suggested yet is chemical intervention. I've seen reports of people using ivermectin to kill SPS pests, red bugs and alike, which ended up killing all the snails in the tank, including all inverts. I am willing to do this to get rid of them. I will set up a new tank, just for the inverts to live, until I can test slowly by adding an invert one in at a time weeks after treatment. Even then, the snails will have to be taken to a LFS to live out their life there. You can't get the larva that might be on their shell or active small worms.
What's worse is coral boring spionids, I've posted about them a few times.
Bot587
Community Member
For some reason the quoted line didn’t generate in post. This is in response to the comment on my original post.
Generally true, however in time the bumblebee snails will get them. A long time back (4 years) my tank was covered. Got a couple bumblebee snails when a buddy gave me some gonzos. Over the coarse of a year or two they eliminated all the vermetid snails. I’m by no means saying this as a quick fix, it will take time and I wouldn’t throw a lot in. But, eventually the bumblebee snails will reduce them (just my two cents)
Generally true, however in time the bumblebee snails will get them. A long time back (4 years) my tank was covered. Got a couple bumblebee snails when a buddy gave me some gonzos. Over the coarse of a year or two they eliminated all the vermetid snails. I’m by no means saying this as a quick fix, it will take time and I wouldn’t throw a lot in. But, eventually the bumblebee snails will reduce them (just my two cents)
Hmm, this is interesting, about 3 years ago I treated my tank with interceptor for white bugs (very similar to red bugs).
I just looked up if interceptor has ivermectin, and it seems that it does not.
I'm curious, can you share the thread(s) where people discuss it? I can search too but would be better to read the one(s) you're referring to.
I want to clarify,
Everytime I read that people were successful with bumblebee snails they were for the ones that have tubes the diameter of the hollow part that supports the lead of a mechanical pencil (if thatmakes sense). The ones with tubes closer to the outer diameter of a regular pencil are the ones that are hard to rid the tank of.
Was your success with the larger variety vermiteds or the smaller ones?
ninjamyst
2500 Club Member
For every person that claims bumblebee helped, there's 10 other people that spent $300 on bumblebee snails and they did nothing to help. I am one of those 10 people....
OP
OP
I'm very happy to say, I put 200 bumble bee snails in my 850 gallon system and they are 100% eating them, they camp out and eat them out of the tube, it will be a long process, but they are working for me.
Just to verify, what size vermiteds are you guys referring to?
OP
OP
Mine are all sizes from small to large, coffee stir size and drinking straw size. Hope this helps.
Chris Spaulding
Well-Known Member
Bumblebees do work IMO I had a bad problem as well. I added 40 to my 150 gallon and they cleared the tank of most of them. Ay first I did not think they were working . But as time went on there were fewer and fewer. It was a year long process but they did take them out. I think sometimes people expect overnight or over a course of a month to do the trick but in my case it was over the course a year plus.
I can tell you what I did to rid my tank of them, but I would certainly not recommend anyone try it!
I was up early one morning, and heard a loud pop! Thought my tank broke! Then I saw smoke coming out the doors.
Seems the electrical cord to one of my ATS lights had a split in the sheathing, and touched the water. Shorting out the light, and causing it to smoke a bit. The smoke was certainly in the water in my sump, I could smell it in the display. While I run carbon 24/7/365 I didn't think anything of it, and just left it be. Figured the fresh carbon that I just changed yesterday would take care of the smell. Of course I pulled the plug and light from the sump. LOL
My corals sulked for a couple days, but everything rebounded just fine. Only thing that happened that I could tell, was it killed every single vermetid snail in my tank! This was a few years ago, and I haven't had any since.
I was up early one morning, and heard a loud pop! Thought my tank broke! Then I saw smoke coming out the doors.
Seems the electrical cord to one of my ATS lights had a split in the sheathing, and touched the water. Shorting out the light, and causing it to smoke a bit. The smoke was certainly in the water in my sump, I could smell it in the display. While I run carbon 24/7/365 I didn't think anything of it, and just left it be. Figured the fresh carbon that I just changed yesterday would take care of the smell. Of course I pulled the plug and light from the sump. LOL
My corals sulked for a couple days, but everything rebounded just fine. Only thing that happened that I could tell, was it killed every single vermetid snail in my tank! This was a few years ago, and I haven't had any since.
Charlie the Reefer
Well-Known Member
Really interesting points. Instead of focusing on the predator, focus on what competes with them.
Biologic
Active Member
I threw in 15 in a 50 gallon tank. Bumble bee snails are useless in my experience. Strict QT procedures allowing them to never get in the first place is the best way. Otherwise, you have to do drastic things like scorched earth, taking down the tank or using a systemic chemical intervention.
Biologic
Active Member
Yes Ivermectin (drug) isn't Interceptor (brand) which is Milbemycin (drug). Totally different drugs, but in the same class of broad spectrum antiparasitic.
This guy says he used IVM to kill off, I guess some bugs. He says his tank is basically toxic to inverts. Fine. No Acro eating flatworms either. I can live with that. In all seriousness, you need inverts for a healthy eco system, so removing it out the IVM would be essential.
Not sure what they are doing beyond water changes. I imagine using activated carbon in flowing chamber would be better than just doing water changes alone.
Last edited:
