Have you ever seen a colony of this before?

[trido]

About a month ago this colony showed up on a piece of LR I've had for a year. It is near the front of hte tank so I figured I'd just keep an eye on them and see how rapidly they spread. I just noticed a second colony up very high in the tank directly under the MH in a crevice.
These things look like a cross between a tubastrea and yellow polyps. They are colonial, about 2 mm. across on the polyp, they have a yellow green polyp and calcium skeleton about 4mm. long and .5 mm around. Have anyone ever seen anything like these before? In the third pic the colony has the pointer. It is about the size of a dime. The pocillapora is the size of a 50 cent piece for reference.




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[nano_reeflover]

They're hydroids. Not good. I'm not sure what is required to get rid of them.

 

[ecobalance]

apstaisa

thatts apstaysia[glass anemone]the devils plague.

 

[trido]

thatts apstaysia[glass anemone]the devils plague.

I can guarantee you that those arent aptasia. I know all to well what they look like. I have to go on a nukefest in the very near future.

 

[Skimmy]

They're hydroids. Not good. I'm not sure what is required to get rid of them.

those are harmless, i have had them in almost every reef i've ever owned.
and definately not aptasia...

 

[spongebob lover]

yeah those are colonial hydroids

 

[nano_reeflover]

those are harmless, i have had them in almost every reef i've ever owned.
and definately not aptasia...

Everything I've read says that they can sting corals if located to closely. But I dont really know

 

[Elmo18]

those are harmless.

IMO....hydroids are not harmless. Maybe to big fish and invertebrates. Small seahorses, mysis, brine shrimp, and fish larvae are all prey to hydroids.

I find them to be quite a nuisance. Decrease feeding and you will see a drop in their numbers.

Best,
Ilham

 

[trido]

Thanks all. I just went on an aptasia hunt and nuked them. I did some reading on them and felt it was best because I feed heavy and have no intention of cutting back. I didnt want little colonies of them all over my tank.

 

[steve-s]

Colonial polyped hydroids of some type (athecate hydroid) and as Elmo18 said, not harmless. Joe's juice or Aiptasia Exit will work as well as limpets but I always prefer not live animal approaches.

 

[Haole]

What about manual removal, Steve?
Say for example, you take a rock that has these hydroids on it and scrub them off outside of the tank they are kept in. Is there a chance that they could endure and survive through this method? In other words, do you know if hydroids bore into the rock or if they are external and living within their tubes and only attach to the surface?

 

[Skimmy]

so what do they "do" thats bad?? just sting stuff like a coral? secrete toxins?
i 've literally had them in almost every tank and have ignored them because they are so tiny...

 

[steve-s]

What about manual removal, Steve?
Say for example, you take a rock that has these hydroids on it and scrub them off outside of the tank they are kept in. Is there a chance that they could endure and survive through this method? In other words, do you know if hydroids bore into the rock or if they are external and living within their tubes and only attach to the surface?

Scrubbing would not work but chiseling beneath them might. I have never looked into their reproductive cycle so I am not sure if tissue laceration is a concern here or not. I have always found a generous dose of Joe's juice or the like to work very well.

so what do they "do" thats bad?? just sting stuff like a coral? secrete toxins?
i 've literally had them in almost every tank and have ignored them because they are so tiny...

Their damage is usually limited to physical proximity. They can cause a fair amount of damage to whatever they touch and will impede the growth/spreading of new corals. Even Pachyclavularia cannot compete with this animal.

 

[Skimmy]

well, OUT they go!

i should get a "shrammie" for spreading reef propaganda...:shock: