Burrowing worm removal
 

We have come across a couple of burrowing type worms in some of the corals we are dipping. We have tried manual removal, and the worm just breaks in half. We do this after dipping but I really have no clue if they were killed with the dip.

How bad is this issue?

Never, ever heard of burrowing worms. got pics?

We removed the worms, I cannot get a decent picture with the iPhone. I do not have any other camera. You can see holes tunneling right through the coral. At the top of it was a little worm that almost looked like it had a crab claw type mouth. It was pretty small, and the tunnels are about 2mm across.

Sounds like Vermatid Snails.... sorta.

http://www.reefs.org/library/aquariu...97/0897_8.html

The one worm thing we removed was about an inch or so long, with a black body which fell apart when we tried t pick it out. I cannot say for sure if this was a vermatid snail or not. Like you said, it sounds like one... sort of.

+2 on that, could you be talking about a species of Christmas Tree worm? Do they seem to be negatively influencing the coral?
Levi

They are burrowing through the skeleton... the coral seems alright aside of the damage of the tunnels. At one end of the hole, there was a thing that looked like a little crab claw almost... this is the best I can describe it. I am trying to get pictures of the hole itself, but the critter was removed and there are no photos of it. When we pulled it out, it broke apart and squished. Not much left to take a pictures of...

I keep trying to get pictures but an iPhone is just not the thing to take close up shots like this.

you meant shots, right? :)

... and you're certain the coral didn't just grow around the worm?

Oh no!!! Going to fix it now... better hit the penalty box...