Killer underwater spider or ...?

[squibege]

Okay what the heck is this? This is the only live rock that has this- got it out of a fellow reefers tank. A scarlet hermit crab that was in the tank for 2-3 days crawled into the nook and now I'm pretty sir he is no more (hasn't moved a bit in the last 3days) When I blasted him with a turkey baster last night I wasn't sure if he moved a leg on his own or if it was just a power head. Also seems paler than the others.

Any ideas what could be living in there? Do I need to get this rock out of my tank?

[mrhasan]

Probably vermatide snail.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

See figure 5 in the above link.

[soapy]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

Probably vermatide snail.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

See figure 5 in the above link.

I was thinking the same thing. If it was my rock I would pull it out and grind off any vermitids before putting it back. Also you can use a turkey baster to stir up detritus then any vermitids will let out a slime rope alerting you to their location so you can hammer those too. All supposing it is in fact vermitids.

[Myka]

Looks like Vermetid web to me

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by soapy

I was thinking the same thing. If it was my rock I would pull it out and grind off any vermitids before putting it back. Also you can use a turkey baster to stir up detritus then any vermitids will let out a slime rope alerting you to their location so you can hammer those too. All supposing it is in fact vermitids.

I use frag glue to cover them up.

Gotta cover top and bottom though otherwise they just turn up again later.

[squibege]

Thanks for the replies!!
Cover them with glue as in cover the rock with glue? Are they really stuck in there enough to need to grind them?

[soapy]

Grind them as in break up their calcareous shell so that they die. I use a screw driver or a pair of wire snippers or a spade bit drill bit. By glueing I think most people mean they just inject a spot of crazy glue into the end of the vermatids tube.

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by squibege

Thanks for the replies!!
Cover them with glue as in cover the rock with glue? Are they really stuck in there enough to need to grind them?

If you follow their "web" you will find the snails tube.

Cover the entire tube, top to bottom.

You can try just covering the top, but then they often reappear a few days later.

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by soapy

Grind them as in break up their calcareous shell so that they die. I use a screw driver or a pair of wire snippers or a spade bit drill bit. By glueing I think most people mean they just inject a spot of crazy glue into the end of the vermatids tube.

That would work, possibly even better.

I use frag glue though, the stuff you use to affix frags to your rock work.

I've also had success with Kalk paste.

[soapy]

Shoot I didn't know you had to glue the whole thing to stop em. Little buggers!

Always fun when they come up through the middle of a coral or the coral grows around them.