Montipora pest?

[Austriaguy]

Being a beginner. I did not dip my new montipora that i brought home from reefaplalooza. Ever since it has slowly deteriorated. Developing a white line that looks bleached. Today i saw this little bugger. It retracted when a clown fish swam nearby. It has a sort of lid, and has 2 tentacles sticking out. Any advice on what this may be? I will get a picture as soon as i can.

 

[bribo12]

There is no picture but it doesn't sound like a pest. What type of lighting do you have? Did you light acclimate it? What are your nitrates, phosphate, calcium, alkalinity and magnesium at?

 

[Austriaguy]

lighting- Radion
light acclimate- yes
nitrates- under .85 ppm
phosphates- about .16 ppm
calcium- .375-.400 ppm
alkalinity- unstable 7.7 -9.2
magnesium- between 11 and 12 hundred

 

[bribo12]

lighting- Radion
light acclimate- yes
nitrates- under .85 ppm
phosphates- about .16 ppm
calcium- .375-.400 ppm
alkalinity- unstable 7.7 -9.2
magnesium- between 11 and 12 hundred

Hmm the alk swings could be causing it to bleach. Does it change like that daily? Magnesium seems low as well, I try to keep mine between 1350 and 1450.

 

[bribo12]

It could be the pest too but from your description, it doesn't sound like anything I know of that would feed on a monti.

 

[Sniperhank]

Sounds like a young vermitid snail to me. Smash him...or post a picture for a positive ID.

 

[Austriaguy]

for some reason it wont let me post a picture... but the alkilinity swings have been daily. i looked up vermetid snail it looks a lot like what i have

 

[Sniperhank]

Good...but alk swings aren't going to help matters any. Either way, smash that white tube before it gets bigger. They shoot out webs to filter feed that really hurts SPS corals. It won't kill them if they are large enough, but it will irritate large areas to tissue death.

 

[bribo12]

Good...but alk swings aren't going to help matters any. Either way, smash that white tube before it gets bigger. They shoot out webs to filter feed that really hurts SPS corals. It won't kill them if they are large enough, but it will irritate large areas to tissue death.

I disagree about the vermetid snails, I have a bunch and some have mucous nets that go right on some of my sps. I have never seen tissue death or even loss of polyp extension. The alk swings are your main culprit here. My monti cap seems to bleach some if I ever have a big change in alk.

 

[Austriaguy]

ok. that would really explain the poor health of my montipora. thanks for your help! anyways to smash it without hurting the montipora?

 

[Sniperhank]

The white line is a young vermitid snail, not exactly bleaching. Happened to a couple in my tank because I believed they wouldn't hurt anything since they were on the other side of the tank. Was wrong as their young ended up in various placed around the tank because I left them go unchecked. Don't believe it, here you go.
Vermetid snails are bad for stony corals, coral crabs keep em in check

 

[Austriaguy]

Interesting page. I have not observed any of that white stringing film, and it does not have an elongated tube either.

 

[Sniperhank]

I wish I could find the link to the big one I pulled out of my tank...tube was atleast 6 inches of spiraled tube.

 

[bribo12]

I wasn't saying I didn't believe it. I just dont agree that they kill corals. I have a ton in my tank and see no ill effects.

 

[Sniperhank]

I'll take and post a picture of my scroll coral that was rubbed raw by the webs. It didn't die, but is a isn't a tiny frag. About half of it survived.

 

[Sniperhank]

Here is the picture of what it did to my coral. You can see where the tissue died off and then became home to the algae I'm currently battling.

To the OP, use a needle or a pin to break the tube it is in and either pull it out or stab him.