WORM SNAILS (Vermetid)
Family: Vermetidae
Range: All seas
Size: Up to 3 inches
Diet: Particulate matter suspended in water
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperature: : 64 - 84ºF
Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.026
pH: 8.1 - 8.4
Care Level: Easy
Notes
If you've ever seen "spider webs" in your reef tank, then you probably have worm snails, or vermetids. These sessile snails adhere to a surface and build a calcareous tube that steadily gets longer and longer as time goes by. From these tubes they secrete a mucous "net" that they use to catch drifting particulate matter.
While these snails aren't harmful by any means, they can become an unsightly nusiance. They reproduce very quickly in our tanks and can blanket whole areas with their stingy mucous. Removing them is fruitless and can be painful due to the sharp edges of the tubes. Just the other day I had one lodge underneath my fingernail into my flesh.
The calcareous tubes of the species found in our tanks are mostly purple, brown, or reddish. They form a mound at the base of the tube about 1/8" in diameter. The tube itself extends up to about 1/5". The mucous strands and nets are clear and resemble spider webs.
If anyone has a way of getting rid of these for good, let me know. Vermetids greatly reduce the efficiency of pumps due to their tendency to grow in the pipes.
