ID HELP Please!!! CRITTER - funky!

[overanalyzer]

OK I will try to get a picture of this thing soon. It is a worm of some sort that spits out a relatively huge goey web to catch stuff. it is attached to a stalk of my candy cane (which is not looking good) and is a worm about the size of a screw drive shaft (thickness) and a 1/4' long. It is poking out of a shell that has consistenly gotten bigger and bigger on each layer. It is about 7 layers thick and no signs of stopping. It is an orangish-brown in color and constanly has its net out. At first I thought it was cool and now I have one dead head and it is spreading it's net onto other parts of the candy cane frag .... I am thinking of pulling it but what is it??? should I pull it (major trauma) or is something else causing my candy cane funk??

 

[stapler]

You sure its not a feather duster?
Maybe someone else can help you out, but thats what it sounds like to me.

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by stapler
You sure its not a feather duster?
Maybe someone else can help you out, but thats what it sounds like to me.
not in the least - it spits out a huge goey spider web looking thing not a nice crown of feathers .... looks like I have a spider in my tank...
Thanks though!!

 

[bang guy]

Possibly a Vermitid Snail. If so then it's not harming your Coral.
These Sanils don't ever leave their tube, have you seen it outside of it's tube? Have you seen a pair of antenna sticking out of the tube?

 

[007]

Originally posted by Bang Guy
Possibly a Vermitid Snail. If so then it's not harming your Coral.
These Sanils don't ever leave their tube, have you seen it outside of it's tube? Have you seen a pair of antenna sticking out of the tube?
my thoughts exactly . . . . .

 

[nm reef]

I failed to save the pic but several months ago there was a pic on another forum of a rather large Vermitid Snail that looked like what you are describing. Most of the Vermitids I've seen are relatively small and have basically a single line they extend...but the one I saw on another post was large...the base structure looked like a feather duster tube. Maybe a larger type than commonly found?

 

[overanalyzer]

Bang - yes 0 I've seen some feeler like things sticking out.
The tube is not a tube it is like a conch shell. Arghh pictures I need to get some decent pictures!! I will post some pictures soon!

 

[overanalyzer]

OK here is a side view - it is just under hte halimeade leaf and is a brownish color. Let me know if you can't see it and I will circle and re-post

 

[overanalyzer]

here is a picture of the worm hole - it is fuzzy. it is right above the dead head on the candy cane

 

[007]

I am pretty sure that you have a vermetid snail . . . granted a large variety of it, but a vermetid IMO.
The most harm I have ever seen one cause is to my xenia . . . and even that was nothing major. The xenia polyps just got entangled with the web of the vermetid and caused it to get all mad . . . no physical damage though. I think you should be fine.
I wouldnt try and remove it though . . . I will take a pic of the big one that I have in my tank. I have tried to remove it several times by just breaking off the tube . . . it just grows back almost overnight . . . . so I gave up.

 

[overanalyzer]

thanks - gpoing to retest my water see what is bugging my candy cane then ....

 

[007]

What other corals you got in there? Any leathers or other softies?

 

[overanalyzer]

Yeah I have a ricordea - some xenia and mushrooms and a finger leather on the other side of the tank .... plus some hairy shrooms

 

[007]

I would try and run some carbon and see if that helps. Perhaps the leather or another softie is leaching toxins. Worth a shot at least.

 

[overanalyzer]

Originally posted by 007
I would try and run some carbon and see if that helps. Perhaps the leather or another softie is leaching toxins. Worth a shot at least.
Thanks I have a water change ready to go so I think I am going to do that!