For awhile, I have been battling low pH where it dips below 7.70. I have found it is a common issue in hot climates such as Florida and the fun part about living in an efficient and airtight house as CO² builds up in this type of closed environment. Short of replacing the whole house air exchange and heat pump, here is what I have done to help keep relatively stable pH above 7.70 in my 24 gal tank.
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Over the last couple months, I have done a little research as I have been disappointed with my Acropora coloring in my tank and all the basic parameters are inline. It appears my Nova Extreme Pro T5 18w lighting system is too bright for my tank set up. Based on information I have read, it is argued adjusting the photo period will improve the aesthetic coloring. Decreasing the photo period is suppose to improve the coral’s colors and growth. I wanted to test this theory for color improvement with my tank.
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It has been argued one food source is better than another at contributing minimal nutrients to our closed reef systems. I want to determine which is better based on Nitrate and Phosphate levels of each.
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I noticed I had some tiny white dots appearing on my back area of my reef tank a couple days ago and thought it was some sand blowing up. Noticed tonight a lot more and some are bigger (~3 mm). Looking closer, I realized they are spiral shaped and a lot of them.

Doing a quick search, I found they are Spirorbid Worms (Spirorbis sp.). This worm builds a calcerous tube and filter feeds. These are tiny, coiled tube worms that can form on live rock and the tank glass. They are very small, usually only a few millimeters in diameter. These are harmless filter feeders, and are most often found in new tanks with high nutrients. They usually disappear, or decline in numbers, once tanks mature, and water conditions improve.

The Plan

Really nothing I can do besides scrape them off what ever they attach themselves to in the tank, reduce nutrients, and be patient for tank to mature.

Observations and Information

• 01/05/2009 — Identified pest as Spirorbid Worms and began scraping process
• 04/19/2009 — Observed population is declining

Conclusion

Based on information I have read, reduction of nutrients, scraping, and patience is only you can do to reduce their population. This is what I have observed.

DISCLAIMER: Your results may very as each system is very different from another. For my tank parameters and environment, this was my observations and conclusion. This was not a controlled experiment so there is a potential for a very large margin of error.

References

Levenson , Marc. “Spirorbid Worms.” Melev’s Reef. hhttp://www.melevsreef.com/id/spirorbid_worms.html. Accessed 01 Jan 2009.

Masterson, J. “Spirorbis spp.” Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. 01 Oct 2008. Smithsonian Marine Station. http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLSpec/Spirorbis_spp.htm. Accessed 05 Jan 2009.