Help with pest id.

Tinyreef

Cleaner Shrimp
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
Hello everyone. My name is Jacob and I've been in the hobby for 5 years. I've got a 4gallon pico reef that has had a pest in it for a number of years but I never tried to figure it out. The only coral that is affected is a blasto colony. Whatever the pest is it leaves behind a trail of hardened substrate when it moves on the rock work or on the wall. About 3 times a year the trail leads directly to a blasto head and the blasto will be completely gone. The trail of sand that it leaves is rock hard. I've tried to see this pest at night and had no luck. No other corals have been eaten. I've got acans, zoes, palys, mushrooms, and a monti cap in the same tank. My phone can't seem to get a reasonable picture of the trail but I'll keep trying. If anyone has experience with a pest that leaves this kind of trail any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all. This forum has provided me with great info over the years.
 

SkyShark

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
It almost sounds like you are describing vermetid snails. A picture will definitely help, not sure I am totally understanding the description.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
 

Tinyreef

Cleaner Shrimp
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
The first picture is a line of hardened sand on the back wall that the pest leaves wherever it has been. The next 4 are my blastos all of the same 3 heads. In 2 of the pictures 2 of the heads are covered in this hardened sand. The next two pictures are after breaking the sand cacoon away to see the eaten heads.
 
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