Little Spikes Everywhere

[mempho reefer]

Hi Gang It's been awhile since I've posted but I've been dropping by from time to time just to read and keep up. Now I have a dilema and need some help. Over the last few months my tank has become infested with what seems to be some sort of parasite. They are small calcareus spikes about a quarter to a half inch in length. When I feed the tank they spray a sort of web, I assume to catch their share. It started with a few. Now they are everywhere. They are even growing on the shells of some of my snails.:bouncebox Does anybody have any idea what they are? And, how do I get rid of them? Sorry I don't have pix right now.

BTW, here are the tank specs:
36 Bowfront
35lb LR with DSB
Mainly softies and LPS
T-5s
0 Ammo
0 Trites
0 Trates
PH 8.0-8.2
Undetectable Phos
Calc 480

 

[BigAl07]

I can't picture them in my head but they sound more like some type of filter feeding worm rather than a parasite (parasite actually feeds on it's host). Try getting a pic of them when you can.

 

[deaclauderdale]

It is a worm and harmless to the tank. The name eludes me know but I have a few in my tank as well. Their rapid explosion could be caused by overfeeding.

 

[wonderloss]

Sounds like Vermetid Snails. A quick google search should give you plenty of information. They are not too much of a problem themselves, but they can be an indicator of high nutrients in the tank.

 

[mempho reefer]

Thank wonderloss. Vermetid it is. Karma to ya for the id. I found a link in case anyone else has this issue or is interested.

Snails That Worm Their Way Into Tanks by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

 

[boozeman]

those can be a real PITA

 

[mempho reefer]

You ain't kiddin' boozeman. It's enough to drive me to drinking.:apint:

 

[boozeman]

do you have many? I don't want to scare you but, I remember reading a thread on ''another forum'' where the guy had to eventualy boil all his rock to get rid of them :bouncebox

 

[mempho reefer]

They're everywhere. I'm going to try hermit crabs. Even though they are evil.....they are know to feed on them. If that doesn't work then I'll try manually removing them. Not sure how effective either will be but I really don't want to have to cook my LR to eradicate them.