Please help me get rid of clam hitch hikers.

[Lyn]

Vermetid worms, aiptasia, and corals (mushrooms and pocillipora) are growing on my clam. I have tried scraping them off in the past, but they just grow back. I was wondering if I could remove the clam from the water and paint on a baking soda solution to kill all the unwanted hitch hikers, or if that would hurt the clam. Of course I would rinse the clam before putting it back in the tank. What do you think? Will it work? Any other suggestions?

 

[Apon]

just kill the aiptasia, the others should not bother the clam.

 

[Lyn]

Arnold, the Poci is starting to branch out, and the Vermetids are large and putting out nets everywhere.

Could I kill the aiptasia with baking soda paste?

 

[Erick]

Vermetids are easily removed just scrape them off.

 

[Lyn]

Vermetids are easily removed just scrape them off.

Yup, I did in the past, they just came back. Guess I'll have to keep scraping, but it makes me nervous to take the clam out of the water. :~

 

[A_Lee]

Vermetids are easily removed just scrape them off.

Yup, I did in the past, they just came back. Guess I'll have to keep scraping, but it makes me nervous to take the clam out of the water. :~

FWIW, I scrap them off under water all the time, and I haven't seen any detrimental effects

 

[Lyn]

Anthony, do they just regrow somewhere else? I was wondering how they multiplied. I had one large one once, and now I have lots all over the tank. Thank goodness they are contained to only one small tank. I find their webbing unsightly and they steal food from the corals and fish.

BTW, how are your Bangaii?

 

[Erick]

I break them off from the base and remove them from the tank if they are bothering me that day. As for reproduction I'll leave that for someone who knows

 

[A_Lee]

Lyn,

I never found vermetid worms to be a really big nuisance. They are unsightly however, so I am totally feeling you with regards to that. They do help to harvest any uneaten food that is floating in the water column after feeding though, and that's good! The one time I eradicated some by just scraping them buggers off the rock, I didn't notice a significant growth or boom of them elsewhere in the tank ... but it just me. Just don't break 'em with your finger I am sure they are capable of sexual reproduction though.

My Bangaii's are doing good, thanks for asking! I received six from Rich, but within the first two months, one of them went MIA. I did not recover a body outside the tank, or inside the tank :| Other than that, they're all eating and growing. I am feeding them only PE Mysis. I'm just waiting for them to do their thang

How are yours doing?

 

[Lyn]

Would it be too dangerous to use a dremmel to cut off the pocillipora skeleton?

 

[GreshamH]

Cover corals in super glue and use a dental tool to scrape the v. snail off. push the dental tool down the tube and keep ripping it up until there is no more. They broadcast spawn. Good for the must part but can irritate clams, just like corals can (ones with moving parts, not so much SPS).

 

[Lyn]

Anthony,

My Bangaii are in this tank with the clam. If the food gets stuck on a Vermetid line, they won't eat it. The line must have some nastiness to it that repels other animals. Anyway, the two I got are doing ok. The big one sometimes pick on the little one, but not terribly. Both are alive at least. I think I need to move them to a larger tank. They are in the 12 gallon filled with stuff, so they don't have a lot of swim space. They hide until it is feeding time. How big are your fish now?

 

[Erick]

Can you post a pic? I'm curious what all this looks like

 

[ModernReefKeeper]

liquid calcium (calcium chloride) dripped on to anything tissue related will take most of those off, and they will not grow back.
Its fairly potent at zero dilution, but is needed in the tank, so it dosen't really have any negative effect any other tank mates.
don't do more than a recommended dose per session though.

It will not penetrate the shell of the clam. but make sure the drips that run down the side don't hit the clams tissue at full intensity.
maybe drip on it with it half submerged? where only the stuff u want gone is exposed to full dose/and air.

it works well for me, melts aptasia on the spot.

 

[Lyn]

Can you post a pic? I'm curious what all this looks like

I'll try, but the aiptasia and vermetids hang out under the mantle overhang. I'll try to get the clam to close and take a few pics. I didn't realize how large the vermetids had gotten because I couldn't see their tubes under the open mantle.

 

[Lyn]

Thanks for the tip Wil. I was thinking B soda would work too since I use that in my tank too. I have calcium, so maybe I'll experiment and see which one works better.

 

[Lyn]

Cover corals in super glue and use a dental tool to scrape the v. snail off. push the dental tool down the tube and keep ripping it up until there is no more. They broadcast spawn. Good for the must part but can irritate clams, just like corals can (ones with moving parts, not so much SPS).

Thanks Gresham. I thought Vermetids might broadcast spawn. Do you know if they can regenerate?

 

[GreshamH]

not if you rip all the flesh out

 

[Lyn]

not if you rip all the flesh out

So then, that would be a "yes" on regeneration? Will I hurt the clam if I take a little bit of its' shell off?

 

[Mr. Ugly]

I'm not a clammy type person, but if you're going to take the clam out of the water, can't you just scrape the part of the shell to be cleaned under some fresh water?

Osmotic shock should nuke most of that stuff, no?