Cobwebs???

ldmk · 05-28-2003, 07:39 PM

I've got approximately 130# of Marshall Island live rock in my still cycling tank and have noticed that there are threads (the closest thing I've seen outside of the tank are cobwebs) running between some of the rocks. There also seems to be calcium deposits (some sort of white stuff - how's that for a precise description

) running along the cobwebs.

What is this stuff? Just curious not worried ... yet

K.M.

thefatman · 05-28-2003, 07:42 PM

the white stuff sounds like detreitus. not sure about the cobwebs though..

take a turkey baster, and stick it in the tank, and jsut blast the rocks off. i do this about once a week in my tank.

also, when i turkey baste, i stick a piece of poly filter in my overflwo to catch as much as possible.

ldmk · 05-28-2003, 08:40 PM

I'm actually not sure the cobwebs are bad - perhaps its some sort of rock dwelling creature working on its little habit. Given the "Home Sweet Home" hanging over the door in your house I know you'd feel bad about blasting the c**p out of some poor little creature working diligently on its little creature condo.

Does anyone know what the cobwebs are?

K.M.

ReefDave · 05-28-2003, 09:15 PM

I think your "cobwebs" are actually a type of filter feeder, not unlike a spaghetti worm, or feather duster.

I would need to see a picture, but chances are its a good thing if its a filter feeder, or has apparatus for filter feeding.

ldmk · 05-28-2003, 09:57 PM

Cool. I do have some extraordinarily tiny feather duster worms on another piece of rock so that's great news. Thanks.

K.M.

cyberchef · 05-28-2003, 10:30 PM

Probablythe mucus strands of a vermetid snail. they are a tube snailthat is a filter feeder. They send out a mucus strand to capture food out of the water column. They are a good thing...

dermp · 05-29-2003, 05:34 AM

Are the extremely small like on millimeters big if so I noticed a few of them on my rock and also noticed this cob web thing to. The webs came out pretty far and then the next time I looked they were gone again

ldmk · 05-29-2003, 09:54 AM

Dermp:

Yes they are really small - about a millimeter in length. Based on Cyberchef's response (Thanks!) I looked up vermetid snails in Sprung & Delbeek Vol. 2 and that's what these are.

Here's a link to an article by Ron Shimek talking about them:

http://www.aquarium.net/0897/0897_8.shtml

A search on TRT for "vermetid" will also give you a bunch of related response. Apparently you and I aren't the only ones to have notice "cobwebs" in our tank

K.M.

Cobwebs???

Vermetids it is...