omg... the Ich is back . What's the deal?!?!? I need help.

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by Bob_I

And if you get through the whole post, you will probably begin to wonder just how many snails could she have bought with the money she spent on equipment to track down that elusive, and possibly non existent snail eating worm.

Can't shut some people up, eh

boB,

Already had all that equipment on hand Must be some kind of reef freak... or something

There are very specific signs of the kind of worm that slimes snails to incapacitate, then eat them. Pic of dead snail covered in slime and detritus from the BB tank. Of particular note is the stray mucus with bits of detritus floating up from the snail shell into the water column. Had the presence of this worm confirmed by Dr. Ron over at RC, so I'm pretty confident, along with the following quote and my own observations, that we got a baddy in our 120g :



This quote is from http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rs/index.htm

Oenone are nocturnal predators on snails and clams, and perhaps some other animals. They appear to extend from their burrow, and as they approach their prey they apparently secrete some mucus that covers the prey. This mucus may simply smother the prey, or it may contain some venom or narcotizing agent. After the prey is immobilized the worm extends a proboscis from the bottom of the head into the mucus and the jaws grasp the body of the prey. The jaws may also cut the attachments of the body to any shells, or alternatively the mucus may contain an agent that chemically severs the attachment. In any case, the prey's body is ingested. When the aquarist investigates the scene the next morning, all that typically remains is an empty snail or clam shell covered in a blob of mucus. Not many other predatory animals in marine aquaria typically leave behind such remains, consequently a dead, empty, shell covered with mucus is considered to be good evidence of the presence of an Oenone.

Too bad this worm isn't out during the day when I'm awake to see it