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Vermetid killing SPS?


SuncrestReef

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This SPS colony has been growing fast and very healthy, but just yesterday I started noticing a patch of dead tissue.  After looking closely with my macro lens for any pests, I noticed the sweeping mucus net from a nearby vermetid snail touching the affected area.  Could this be the cause of the problem?  I have a lot of other vermetids in my tank but they have never caused any significant damage.

Screen Shot 2020-05-03 at 3.00.04 PM.png

 

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Update:

I used my laser to kill the vermetid snail.  Cooked it.

Later, I used my macro lens to get a more detailed video of the dead coral area, and discovered it teeming with microscopic copepods.  I'm guessing they are just scavenging any dead material, but are not the actual cause of the damage.  I don't see any of them on the live portion of the coral.  In this video, you can see the tiny copepods primarily on the right side where the white skeleton meets the living coral tissue.  Later, the larger copepod that arrives from the upper left is about 1/4" long, to give you an idea of the scale.  View full screen to get the best view.

 

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I'm a huge fan of Melevsreef and he always talks about how vermetid snails are quite harmless (in small numbers) but their mucus trap can cause serious irritation to corals and he recommends removing them if they're close to corals for that reason. So cool you can see all the tiny critters in your tank that most of us have no idea are there

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

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