Stringy Substance and Bubbles

[Rich-n-poor]

Are the strings always in the same place do they sometimes retract ? could be speghetti worms. I sometimes see a white slimey substance suddenly expell from a live rock in my tank. Just something clearing its throat IMO.

My wife refuses to put her hands in my tank after looking in it one night with a flashlite

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Middle Eastern Forum

 

[kparton]

In the last couple of days, I've noticed something weird in my tank at different times. First, there's air bubbles that seem to be caught on the rock (75lbs LR) and there is some sort of white substance that occassionally is hanging from the rock. It seems stringy but doesn not look like hair algae (I have some of that growing from my skimmer return. All my water parameters are in check and this is not there all day, just intermittently. ANyideas? Is it anything serious?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Anonymous]

my guess is anemone vomit. but that's a guess based on very limited experience Kevin.

chris

 

[kparton]

That's interesting...I don't have any anemones in this tank, unless there's Aiptasia somewhere. However, I did add a hairy mushroom, this is a type of anemone. Maybe that's the cause, any ideas how to avoid it?

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like Vermetid snails. They are stationary snails that cast out a mucus net to trap particulate matter for food.They form calcareous tubes on live rock. They are commonly mistaken for worms,as sometimes you can see them poking out their head. They are a sign of a healthy aquarium.

 

[AuroraDave]

Here is a link to an article with pics that Ron Shimek wrote on Vermetid snails.

Vermetid" target="_blank">http://www.aquarium.net/0897/0897_8.shtml[URL=http://www.aquarium.net/0897/0897_8.shtml]Vermetid Snails</a>

 

[kparton]

That actually sounds realistic, mucus is a good way to describe what I'm seeing and it only appears at certain times (like after feeding). Other times it will be gone. Thanks for the information, the water quality has remained great, so I think I'll not worry about it.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Katspaw]

AnemoneBuff, perfect description, I have these types of snails in my tank, and when I was a newbie, I couldn't figure it out. It took research to find the answer then. Thank god for the internet and people who know what they are talking about.

Tracey

 

[Anonymous]

If you see these stalks made of calcium that is what they are. If not the mucus is from another invert. Many small inverts use mucus to trap food. But,vermetid snails are probably the most common in the home aquarium. The only problem occasionally seen with them is that they can multiply in your tubing and slow the flow.