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FAQs about Marine Snail Compatibility and Removal 3
Related Articles: Gastropods, Sea
Slugs, Mollusks, Abalone,
Related FAQs: Snail Compatibility 1,
Marine Snail Compatibility 2, Pest
Snails (Pyramidellids...), Marine Snails
1, Marine Snails 2, Marine
Snails 3, Snail ID 1,
Snail ID 2, Snail Behavior,
Snail Selection,
Snail Systems,
Snail Feeding,
Snail Disease,
Snail Reproduction, Mollusks, Sea
Slugs, Abalone, Marine
Algae Eaters, | 
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ID for Snail in Dailies - 10/05/2009
Hi Bob,
<Amazing Lynn>
The snail in the photo today looks like something in the genus
Babylonia, which depending on where you look, is usually either assigned
to the family Babyloniidae, or Buccinidae. Here's an example of one:
http://www.gastropods.com/1/Shell_11.shtml
Main page with others in this family:
http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/TN_Family_BABYLONIIDAE.shtml
<Ahh, Babylonia zeylanica... does look like this>
Do you have any other photos of this little guy?
<I do not>
If so, and if you can tell me where it's from, I should be able to
narrow it down further.
<... a fish store>
Take care,
-Lynn
<Thank you dear. BobF>
snail ID - 10/05/2009
Hi everyone,
the snail in today's pic of the day is a Buccinulum corneum as far as I can
see. They live in the sand, are predatory and are sometimes used for
controlling bristle worms.
Alex
<Ahh! Thank you Alex. Bob Fenner>
Re: snail ID
Bob,
I just took a second look - it might as well be some Babylonia species (also
from the Buccinidae family). They do look pretty much alike as far as
siphons etc. go. A good reference is
http://www.nmr-pics.nl/Buccinidae/album/index.html
in this regard.
Alex
<Yes... my best guess is Babylonia zeylanica.
BobF>
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Re: ID for Snail in Dailies -
10/05/2009
Right back at you, Amazing Bob!
<Heeee!>
You're most welcome. Those are neat-looking little snails, but I wouldn't
trust them around other Molluscs. They're predators and scavengers. Also, I
didn't mention in the previous mail, but the common name is Babylon or
Babylonia snail and I've seen them available from time to time on the 'net
and locally. Woe be it, though, to the person who puts one in their tank
without knowing the possible consequences!
Take care,
-Lynn
<Be chatting! BobF> |
Horse Conch: Big Appetite, Potentially Huge Snail – 8/20/09
Hello, I have a young horse conch who of course ate all other snails in
my tank faster than I could find out he is indeed a cannibal (ignorant
me).
<Ouch! Unfortunately that’s one of those lessons learned the hard way to
research before bringing home! If what you have is indeed the Florida
horse conch Pleuroploca gigantea (family Fasciolariidae – tulip snails)
it will most definitely eat other snails, some thin-shelled bivalves
such as pen shells (family Pinnidae) as well as scavenge. In addition,
it also has the potential to reach almost two feet in length - as in
yikes!>
I now feed him pieces of shrimp tucked into snail shells. Do you know if
he eats other life such as corals?
<Nope, it should leave your corals alone.>
Thanks for considering my question, Mary
<You’re very welcome. Take care, LynnZ>
Injured Nassarius Snail –
06/25/09
Hi Guys,
<<Hey Robert>>
Couple quick questions.
<<Okay>>
I have a Threadfin Butterfly that bit the siphon tube off two of my
Nassarius Snails.
<<Bet that had to sting>>
It attacked them like a pit bull.
<<…! As in shaking them violently from side to side?>>
I added about 5 of these snails today to help sift/stir the sand with
intentions on getting more.
<<Are excellent for this…and to help with detritus removal>>
They are still moving around and such at this time, but will they make
it??
<<Probably… Truth be told, I have a Copperband Butterfly that likes to
do the same thing, though not as much anymore…perhaps it has tired of it
as I do keep it well fed (or maybe the snails are just getting smarter
[grin]). But my population of Nassarius snails seems to prosper and grow
despite the Copperband>>
Will their siphon tube regenerate?
<<Don’t really know. Perhaps…>>
Should I find another sand stirrer and if so what kind or type do you
recommend?
<<You might try adding some Cerith snails to the mix>>
The butterfly doesn't mess with any other snails or crabs, guess it
didn't like the new ones.
<<The siphon tubes are very worm-like...too much of a temptation for the
Threadfin (and my Copperband). I’m guessing you don’t have any
Featherdusters either>>
Thank you!
Robert
<<Happy to share… EricR>>
Someone's Eating Our Snails/Escargot Anyone (Yuk!)? 3/7/09
Hello.
<Hello Nicole.>
I am hoping that you can help us. If you need more
information, please let me know.
My husband and I have a 34 gallon Red Sea
Max. It is landscaped with liverock. In it we have a Flame Angel,
<Your tank
is a little small for keeping a Flame Angel. Most etailers will list a 30 gallon
tank as minimum size, but a 50 gallon minimum is more realistic.
Behavourial/Environmental issues may ensue here.>
Six Line Wrasse, a pair of young (about one year old) False Percula Clowns, and
a Fire shrimp. We recently had introduced a small fish to the tank who wound up
dead a few days later. (We believe our flame angel killed her).
<May very
well be, as stated above.>
They are supposed to be very territorial fish, but
we had never seen her act harshly before. In the past we also had a cleaner
shrimp which we found to be dead after a weekend away. A friend had been feeding
our fish for us and said it had been alive that morning. After doing some
research on your site, we found that six lines develop a hunger for shrimp so
that may explain that. However, for the past six months or so we have been
unable to keep snails or hermit crabs alive for very long. Someone in the tank
keeps eating them. As snails are an important part in the cleaning
process
of the tank, we are concerned that this is a problem. We are wondering if you
would be able to tell us who might be eating our snails and what we should do
about it.
<The Six Line Wrasse will search for live foods in the form of
small crustaceans such as Pyramidellid snails (clam parasites), urchins, and
commensal flatworms, but in my experience, I've never saw them eat snails or
Hermit Crabs, at least the sizes that are generally kept by aquarists. More than
likely you had too many janitors and there was a shortage of food for them.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Nicole Gutermann
Re Someone's Eating Our Snails/Escargot Anyone (Yuk!)? 3/8/09
Just one remark on your reply. I realized that I probably should have mentioned
in the previous message. We have seen several of our snails, before they died,
with chunks missing from their bodies. This is why we believe someone may have
been eating them. Do you still stick to your conclusion that there were too many
in the tank? (At the moment there are six snails and one hermit crab.)
<Mmm,
I assume the snails were intact after you purchased them, and, have you ever
observed the Six Line Wrasse nipping at them? The Flame Angelfish has been known
to nip at corals and clam mantles, so there is a chance it may have nipped at
the snails. Observe this fish. You did not mention what specie of hermit crab
you have. Hermit crabs can never be classified as entirely reef safe. They are
opportunistic feeders and can/will kill and eat snails to obtain a larger home
or satisfy their hunger. If yours is of the Blue Legged or a similarly small
sized variety, then it is unlikely that the crab is the culprit. James (Salty
Dog)>
Nicole
Nassarius Snail vs. Crocea Clam - 10/20/08
Hello,
<Hi
there, Jeremy.>
I awoke this morning to find a Nassarius snail eating on my
Crocea clam.
<Yikes!>
The clam has always seemed healthy and I hadn't
noticed any problems with it. I removed the snail and my clam is still alive,
extending and contracting most of its mantle except for the part the snail was
on.
<Okay>
Did the snail start eating the clam because it is sick or
dying? Or are Nassarius snails a natural predator to Crocea clams?
<They’re
not actually dedicated predators of these clams, but they are carnivorous and
opportunistic. Most of the time, Nassarius snails make terrific little tank
scavengers, but I have read the occasional reports of them snacking on healthy
clams. My guess is that in these cases, there wasn’t enough readily available
food so the snails went after the clam as an easy meal. That could easily be
what happened in your case as well, given that you feel the clam is in otherwise
good condition. If it were me, I wouldn’t put the snail back in the tank, but if
you still have others, I’d discourage them from straying by keeping them well
fed. You can offer something like sinking pellets or any meaty bits of marine
origin (shrimp, fish, etc.>
Thank you for your help.
Jeremy
<You’re
very welcome. Take care, -Lynn>
Nassarius Snails Eating Hermit Crabs – 6/21/08
Hey WWM Crew,
<Hi Brian! Lynn here today.>
Love the site and thanks for taking the
time to sift through everyone's questions.
<It’s a pleasure.>
I
have something going on in my clean-up crew in my saltwater tank I
haven't been able to find out anything online about.
<Let’s see what
we can do to fix that.>
I have a 75g tank about 2 months old now with
just live rock. The ammonia and nitrite levels were at zero after a
month when I added 10 small blue leg hermit crabs, two Emerald crabs and
five Nassarius snails. I have read all over about hermits taking out
your snail population
<Yes, it can certainly happen. Many, including
myself, avoid keeping hermits in reef systems altogether.>
..but in
my tank it seems my snails are taking out my hermit population.
<Uh
oh>
I have witnessed on three occasions the snails harassing the
crabs.
<Calling them names? Telling them bad hermit crab jokes like:
How much does a hermit crab eat? Just a pinch! What’s a hermit crab’s
favorite dessert? Clawberry Cheesecake! I guess I can see where that
would be annoying.>
The first time the hermit left its shell and
headed to the rocks and returned later to collect its home.
<Awww,
poor little guy.>
Then about a week or so ago I saw a snail envelop
the crab with about five or six hermits in a conga line on the shell of
the crab getting eaten (maybe trying to pull him back?).
<It sounds
like the crab was already dead or in a significantly weakened state and
it attracted every scavenger in the area.>
Another snail crept up
from the sand bed to help and eventually the crab was eaten.
<That
sounds about typical, again, if the crab was dead or dying.>
Just now
I peeked in my tank to see another empty shell and two snails leaving
the scene of the crime.
<Not good.>
Have you ever seen or heard
about this before?
<I’ve never heard of the common Nassarius vibex
snails attacking and killing healthy hermits, no. What I’d do first is
make sure that the snails you have are indeed N. vibex. Please see this
link for comparison: http://www.gastropods.com/0/Shell_1930.html . If
you have something else, let me know and we’ll see if we can’t figure
out what it is. Otherwise, I have a feeling that with such a new system,
the problem might be one of too many scavengers and not enough food to
go around. Keeping everyone well fed will go a long way to ensuring
healthy individuals and keeping the peace. Also, it goes without saying
that keeping the water parameters stable and in good shape is a must.>
Am I missing something as a food source for these snails that is leading
to this behavior?
<Just make sure that they’re all getting enough to
eat – any meaty foods of marine origin, sinking pellets, etc.>
Any
thoughts would be appreciated.
<Let me know if you have a different
species of snail, or if things don’t improve!>
Thanks!
Brian
<You’re very welcome! Take care, -Lynn>
Snail Infestation!! Help 6/16/08
Hi again,
<Hi Jarod>
55 gallon tank, water quality average or better, community fish, and
many leathers, a few SPS, and cleaning crew.
<Okay>
I
travelled this past weekend and got back last night after the tank
lights had turned off. I checked to see if I had any floaters, and I
noticed several little white "things" on my rock. I turned the light
on, and I had dozens of little white snails on my rock and glass.
They are the size a small pea, white roundish shell with brown
spots.
<I’d need a photo to confirm, but what you’re describing
sounds a lot like harmless/beneficial little Collonista snails.
Please see this link for more information and photos:
http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=242 >
Not only
that, there were large "slugs" or snails without shells on the
glass, at least 6 that I could see.
<Again, a photo would be
great, but these could easily be a common, beneficial, hitchhiking
snail in the genus Stomatella (related to the ever popular Turbo and
Astraea snails). Although they do look very slug-like, they’re most
definitely snails, with disproportionately small, flattish shells
that are very often overlooked. Please see this link for more
information/photos:
http://bb.wetwebmedia.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=181 >
These guys
were the size of my Turbo snails.
<Stomatellids can get fairly
large.>
I have never seen them before, obviously they are
nocturnal,
<This is often the case with both of these snails. It
helps them to avoid daytime predators such as various fishes, etc.>
..but now I am concerned they are nuisance snails and I need to know
what they are and how to get rid of them. Should I just pluck the
ones I see each night? Should I be concerned that they will kill my
coral?
<If they are what I think they are, you’re in good shape.
These are both beneficial and welcome hitchhikers that pose no
threat to corals or other livestock. Please check the links provided
above for confirmation. If what you have is something different,
please let me know. Also, please see the links at the bottom of both
of those info sheets. You’ll find a link to WWM’s Google search
engine. Just enter the terms Collonista or Stomatella. You’ll find
quite a few FAQ’s related to these snails.>
Thanks for your
help!
<You’re very welcome!>
Jared S
<Take care, -Lynn Z>
Re: Snail Infestation!! Help: Collonista and likely Stomatellids –
6/16/08
Lynn,
<Hi Jarod!>
Thanks a lot for the links
and the information.
<You’re very welcome.>
The little guys
are definitely Collonista snails.
<Terrific!>
The others I
need to confirm and I will try and get pictures of both.
<Sounds
good.>
If these guys are all beneficial, then I can't wait to see
them all come out and roam now.
<LOL Yep, the terms “harmless”
and “beneficial” are what you want to see when it comes to
hitchhikers. This is especially true when there are great numbers of
said hitchhikers!>
I had no idea that the night life in my tank
was so fascinating and different than daytime hours.
<Oh, are
you in for a treat! I think you’ll be very surprised to see the
number and diversity of creatures that seem to come out of the
“woodwork” after the lights go out. I have no doubt that you’ll see
all sorts of pods scurrying here and there, possibly some peanut
worms (Sipunculids), etc, etc. By the way, a flashlight with a red
lens cover goes a long way to improving visibility and not shocking
the inhabitants. I can tell you from experience that they do *not*
like it when you shine a white halogen flashlight in their tiny
little eyes!>
Jared S
<Have fun! –Lynn>
Re: Snail infestation!! Help: Collonista and Stomatella – 6/17/08
Lynn,
<Hi Jarod.>
Big body, little shell, the others are
definitely Stomatellids.
<Excellent, those are terrific little
snails to have around.>
I couldn't wait until the lights went
out last night to see everything.
<It’s truly amazing, isn’t it?>
Of course I grabbed a flashlight and shined it in their little eyes,
I will get a red lens tonight.
<LOL They’ll very much appreciate
that!>
I did see some pods scurrying about, AND a small brittle
starfish. I have read that starfish aren't reef safe,
<Some are
most definitely not. Among the Brittlestars, the most notorious is
the Green brittlestar (Ophiarachna incrassata), aka “The Green
Death”. These clever stars like to suspend themselves in caves and
drop down on unsuspecting fish at night - yikes!>
..should I be
worried about him? He was no bigger than a quarter.
<No worries.
This is very likely a harmless/beneficial species of
mini-brittlestar (Ophiuroid). They range from about the size of a
dime, up to about a Kennedy half dollar and pose no threat to corals
or other livestock. These common little hitchhikers are
detritivores/scavengers that like to hide within/underneath the
rockwork, many times extending an arm or two out into the water
column to catch food particles drifting by. Most range in color from
all white to a combination of shades of white and gray, often with
bands of darker gray on the arms. A plus with these guys is that
given good conditions, they reproduce readily and sustain a healthy
population of clean-up crew specialists! For more information and
photos, please see these links:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestaridfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/brittlestars.htm >
Thanks again,
<My pleasure!>
Jared S
<Take care, -Lynn> |
Vermetid Snails 3/30/08
Hi, first off love this site. There
is such a great wealth of information here. Ok so here is my problem. I
have a 65 gal reef tank. I had an out break of Vermetid snails a few
months ago. I had thousands of them, They were everywhere, at feeding
time their webs would cover the rock. I winded up redoing my aquascape
with mostly new rock. Over the past few weeks, they are again starting
to show themselves. I really want to try to combat the problem this
time.
Manually removing is out of the question ( too many spots I
can't get to. I do not want to use chemicals. I read about people have
success
with zebra hermit crabs. Does this work? Copperband
butterflies I also heard, don't really want one in my tank. What other
things can I
try.
<<Hey Anthony please take a look at this;
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php .>>
Thanks in
Advance.
Anthony
<<Adam J.>>
Feather dusters with hitchhikers... snail... pred.?
02/28/2008
Hello there,
<<Hello, Andrew today>>
I am
recently new to the hobby and have found your site to be an invaluable
tool.
However, I have an interesting dilemma and am hoping you can
offer some insight.
<<Will do my best>>
I read the post regarding
a feather duster hitchhiking on the back of a snail, but I seem to have
the opposite phenomenon- a feather duster I bought from my local LFS has
a snail attached to it! The duster itself is of the giant variety
(Sabellastarte sp.) and its tube is already approximately 3.5-4 inches
long.
After I got it home, acclimated it, and wedged it into a rock
crevasse, it had disappeared by the next morning. After some searching,
I found that the snail, which appears to be a Cerith snail, was dragging
it all over the aquarium (most likely in search of food). This has been
going on for three days now and the feather duster appears to have had
no ill effect- its radiole is usually out and feeding OK- but I am
concerned that the constant changes in light, water flow, etc (it's a
50gal tank) will eventually lead to a bad end.
<<Snail must be
working hard in the tank...he he he>>
I read the other post about
possibly trying to separate the two with a small scalpel but this seems
extreme, especially given the fact in this instance that the snail is
located farther up the tube and not near the posterior end. Any
suggestions?
<<I would do as suggested, separate the tube from the
snail shell. All that will happen with the current setup, is the tube
worm will constantly be dropping its crown through stress of always
being moved and i feel it will stand little chance of doing well as it
is>>
Thanks in advance! Juli
<<Thanks for the questions. A Nixon>>
That’s no Nassarius! That’s a predatory Olive snail! – 12/24/07
Hey WWM crew.
<Hi there.>
I have been reading lots about
identification of snails, and have identified the snails that have
been trolling my tank as cap snails.
<Neat. Stomatellids are
terrific little grazers that make a nice addition to a tank.>
Also have been reading on some other snails people have encountered
and found this one interesting. Attached below. I also bought 4 of
these snails at one time (sold as Nas)
<Ugh – don’t even get me
started!>
and watched them eat one of my Astrea snails.
<Yep,
what a shame. These Olive snails are beautiful, but are
predators/scavengers, and look nothing remotely like a Nassarius.
How they can be sold as such is beyond me.>
After hours of
searching I found out what it was. I got rid of them right away.
<Understandable – hopefully you educated the seller!>
Just saw a
few people had questions and that you guys were unsure of the
identification. Lettered Olive Snail Oliva sayana
<Much
appreciated! Here’s another photo of one, as well:
http://www.jaxshells.org/oliva.htm
Take care -Lynn> | 
|
Mr. limpet and the Pyramids -12/15/2007
Hello crew,
I try to
avoid asking questions and believe I have only asked 2 so far. Usually I
can find all my answers with research on your site and or others. This
one seems to allude me though. I have been running a 55g reef for 2
years now. The last year has been really great. Anyway this question
doesn't really pertain to lighting or water parameters so I will skip
that this time. I was doing some research on clams because some day I
would like to own one. I then stumbled across something called
Pyramidellid snails. To my amazement I have recently noticed these
little guys before. They were on my turbo snails!! After I found out
what they were I promptly brushed them off of my snails and waited for
dark. ("the freaks come out at night") Here they were by the hundreds!
Now at this point according to my calculations manual removal of such
little creatures would take somewhere between 100 to 1,000,000 years. I
also have hundreds of limpets that don't seem to bother anything in my
tank including the Montipora. Now here it is, will the Pyramidellids
feed off of the limpets? Therefore removing the snails for a long period
off time to remove the Pyramidellids food source thus starving them to
death would not work, correct? I also cannot use a six line wrasse or
other type to help control nor do I think a wrasse would work
effectively anyway. Any Ideas?
<Well, first things first... please
make sure you have the "bad guys" before you start to worry (or start
killing them en mass). There are several harmless/beneficial snails
which look very similar. Please see here:
http://www.reefland.com/rho/2006/05/identify_rissoid_pyramidellid_snails.php>
I apologize for the incomplete e-mail.
<no worries>
Any help on
this subject would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Nick
<De
nada,
Sara M.>
Vermetid Snail Mucus Causing Frogspawn Polyp Ejection? - 11/14/07
Hello Wet Web Media,
Since launching my 24g nano earlier this
year, I have been an avid reader of your site. Thank you for
contributing so much information to the reef-keeping world.
<our
pleasure, thank you>
Your site has helped me to diagnose a
problem, but now I need input on how, or whether, to "solve" it.
The pride of my tank is a bright florescent frogspawn that I added
about five months ago. Since that time, two remarkable things have
happened: first, the frogspawn has rapidly divided: from four heads
to ten or twelve, and dividing still.
<wow>
Loving my
frogspawn as I do, I was initially enthused by its reproduction.
I've placed this coral in a nice space where it can expand and be a
real showpiece in the tank.
But I recently read a post by Anthony
Calfo on this site that described polyp ejection (featuring the
clear bubble that has developed on a few of my
frogspawn heads as
they've split) as a "stress induced strategy of asexual
reproduction."
<Interesting, but I'm not yet convinced that this
is what is happening here with your coral. There is certainly plenty
of reason and academic research to support the notion that polyp
bail out is a response to stress (and method of asexual
reproduction). Polyp bail out is when the soft tissue of a polyp
detaches and drops out of the coral skeleton. If conditions are
right, these dropped polyps will form new skeleton, and ultimately
new colonies. (see "Polyp Bail-Out: An Escape Response to
Environmental Stress and a New Means of Reproduction in Corals" by
Paul W. Sammarco, published in Marine Ecology, Vol. 10: 57-65,
1982). Thus, if your corals polyps were bailing out, I'd expect them
to be dropped from the mother colony and forming new colonies (not
forming new branches on the same colony).>
This got me thinking
about the second remarkable thing that has happened since I acquired
the frogspawn: in the last several weeks, a great
deal of mucus
or webbing has accumulated around the stalk or stem of this coral.
Today, with the help of your site, I at last found the likely cause
of this mucus: the frogspawn came with what I originally believed to
be two tube worms attached, but what I now believe to be Vermetid
snails. A small colony of Vermetids has since grown up on the
frogspawn and the surrounding live rock.
(Perhaps they thrive on
the phyto I feed my feather duster.) Recently the web of Vermetid
mucus has grown pretty thick on the frogspawn and has even trapped a
bit of detritus.
<Indeed, this is what the webs are for. If you
watch them, you can actually see them "reeling in" these webs to
collect their catch.>
So now I am wondering: could this mucus web
be irritating the frogspawn, resulting in stress-induced asexual
reproduction?
<It's *possible* but I'm not sure how likely...>
If so, is that a bad for the long-term health of the coral?
<It's hard to say since I'm still not sure your coral is truly
stressed. Could you send in some pictures maybe?>
If so, what if
anything should I do to prevent it? Would you recommend or advise
against an effort to baste or vacuum some of this mucus off the
coral?
<Likely a futile effort...the snails will just make
more.>
Dare I attempt to remove the snails? Some sort of dip?
<Eek, don't dip it. If you MUST kill the snails, use a
needle/syringe to inject vinegar/Kalk/etc. into the tubes.>
Thank
you very much for your time and expertise.
Ben Irvin
<De
nada,
Sara M.> Attn
Sara M: Vermetid Snail Mucus Causing Frogspawn Polyp Ejection?
-11/14/07
Hello Sara,
Thank you again for your time and
insight.
So, if polyp ejection or bail out results in a complete
detachment of the polyp, that is definitely not what is happening to
my frogspawn. However,
some, but not all, of the heads that have
divided on my frogspawn have developed a clear bubble similar to the
one pictured on this page:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/caryfCorlsaqs.htm
And the frogspawn
does seem to be splitting very fast.
<Yeah, this is odd...>
Here are two pictures: the first, #546, shows the frogspawn from
below.
You can the see largest, green worm-like structure, as
well as a web of greenish-whitish mucus-like material accumulating
on the coral and the rock.
<That actually doesn't look like
Vermetid snail mucus web. If anything it kind of looks like sponge.>
The second, #550, shows the frogspawn from above and behind. You can
see more worm-like structures, as well as a web of mucus-like
material that is catching detritus. This is the first I've noticed,
but there seems to be some algae now growing on the mucus-like
material as well.
<That wouldn't happen with Vermetid snail
mucus.>
One last thing that perhaps I should have mentioned
earlier: this frogspawn is hosted by two true Percs.
<Hmmmm...
interesting. Normally I would tell you that clown hosting is very
stressful to corals. But this is such an odd thing with your coral
growing so fast.>
I'll confess, I thought I had it all figured
out, so I await your judgment: is this bad for the coral? need it be
addressed? if so, how?
<I'll be honestly with you, I'm a little
baffled myself. Hosting clowns usually stress out corals quite a
bit. But if your coral is growing this fast, and if it keeps growing
this fast, I'd question how stressed it must be. Typically, stressed
corals don't grow so fast (if much at all). Let me ask you, do the
clowns feed the coral?>
Thanks once again.
Ben Irvin
<Thanks for writing,
Sara M.>
Re: Attn Sara M: Vermetid Snail Mucus Causing Frogspawn Polyp
Ejection?-11/14/07
Hi Sara,
It's really nice of you to
take the time, and I'm happy to respond,
even at risk of showing
my ignorance, so long as I am not taking up too much of your
attention.
<Not at all... I quite enjoy hearing from other people
about their experiences with their corals.>
I, too, wondered
about the possibility of a sponge, but was at a loss to explain the
worm-like structures in the gauzy, mucusy material.
<I know it
doesn't look like your typical sponge, but I'm 98% sure it's some
kind of sponge. Sponges can be mucus-y, web-like, gauzy... all the
things you're describing are not inconsistent with some kinds of
sponges.>
To give you a better sense of what this looks like, if
I saw it growing in my fridge, or in a garbage can, I'd think that
it was mold. It is whitish-greenish in color, it clings to (possibly
grows on) the adjacent rocks. It has developed worm- or tube-like
structures in it. It seems to cling to, or grow on, the lower, green
portion of the stalk rather than on the white portions of the heads.
Now, ugh, here's my ignorance: in response to your question, do the
clowns feed the coral, my answer is, I don't know what that means. I
feed my clowns Mysis and Cyclopeeze every third day, a reduced
feeding schedule that is aimed at reducing nutrients in the tank. (I
also add a few mg of phyto twice per week.)
I occasionally squirt
some of the Cyclopeeze in the general direction the frogspawn, but
in general I don't target feed it. The clowns stay close to the
frogspawn and swim in and around its heads at night.
<Just like
how clowns bring food to anemones in which they might be hosting,
they will often also bring food to any coral in which they are
hosting. This is what I mean by "feeding.">
Again, I acquired
this coral in May. It had four heads when I obtained it, and I
suspect I'll have sixteen soon enough, each heading having split and
many now splitting again.
<Dear lord that's a lot of splitting.
Do you have any pictures of the whole coral colony? I'm just curious
to see this thing now.>
This coral had been fragged off of a
specimen the size of a basketball in my LFS's show tank. So perhaps
it is just a quick grower.
<Oh cool... I was just going to say
that it would be interesting to see if the coral grew just as fast
without the clowns (and/or in a different tank). So, if a frag of it
in a different tank is growing just as fast, that might tell us
something. But I'm afraid I still don't have a real answer for you
as to why it's growing so fast. I suppose it could have some sort of
genetic "defect" that is causing this. But I honestly don't know.
Please do record all this though (take pictures and make notes of
observations).>
But I want to be sure that whatever is
growing/clinging to its trunk is not an irritant.
<If you're
worried, and if you can easily remove it, go ahead. Better safe than
sorry I suppose.>
Your insight is greatly appreciated.
Ben
<De nada,
Sara M.>
Re: Attn Sara M: Vermetid Snail Mucus Causing Frogspawn Polyp
Ejection? -11/14/07
Hi Sara,
Unless you recommend
otherwise, I will put some light water pressure (turkey baster) on
what we think is the sponge. If it blows off, great, but if it
doesn't budge, I probably won't risk any kind of intervention.
<Sounds like a good plan. You could also use a pair of tweezers to
try and gently pull it off if the baster doesn't work.>
Later
this evening, I will send you two pics of the coral, one opened and
one closed.
<Cool, thanks!>
Have I told you that I appreciate
your expertise?
<Hehe, yes, and thank you again for sharing with
us.>
Ben
<Best,
Sara M.>
Re: Attn Sara M: Vermetid Snail Mucus Causing Frogspawn Polyp
Ejection? -11/14/07
Thanks for the advice, Sara.
During a
regularly scheduled water change this evening, I attempted first to
suction and later to blow this unidentified material off the
frogspawn. I was able to remove a little of the detritus and what
looked like a bit of brownish hair algae, but the mystery material
stayed put. So, since you haven't identified it as fatal
coral-killing death stuff, I'm going to let it be.
<Yeah, I'd
just let it go for now. Most sponges don't pose any real threat to
stony corals.>
I've attached two pix: the first, #556, shows the
whole coral as it's beginning to retract for the evening. For
scale, the whole thing cuts an arc a little bit bigger than a
soft ball.
<Thanks for the pics, looks like a healthy coral. :-)>
The second pic, #566, shows the coral closed up a bit. I had hoped
to show you a picture of the coral closed all the way, so that
you could distinguish the separating heads, but the frogspawn
doesn't seem inclined to close up tight tonight. But, just for
example, the two heads at the far right of the picture have each
developed two mouths and the splits seem imminent. Likewise, on the
far left, what appears to be one big head is actually four. It's
really been amazing to watch.
<Indeed, very interesting.>
But
so long as it is not an unhealthy response, I'm happy!
<Corals
are still so mysterious to us humans. All I can really say is that
the coral looks plenty healthy. I'm not going to promise you that
there's no chance this accelerated splitting isn't a result of some
kind of stress. But I don't have any reason to say it is either. And
even if it were, it's obviously not killing the coral. So I say just
keep doing what you're doing and keep an eye on it.>
(Also, in
the background of 566, you can see a bit of pink sponge in the
vicinity, so maybe this is a sponge-worthy rock.)
<LOL...
"sponge-worthy"--too funny.>
And speaking of rock, you rock.
Thanks for all your help. If you ever need a totally noobtastic
second opinion, be in touch.
<Fabulous, my pleasure.>
Best
wishes,
Ben Irvin
<Best,
Sara M.> | .JPG) |
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