Help, tank being over run

[Leonardstdr]

Hey all, I was hoping someone can help me it seems my tanks been over run with these white, stringy what seems to be sweepers. I am attaching some photos but they are hard to see. The sweepers are all attached to my live rock. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Hard to see, but do they look like spider webs. Could be vermetid snails. They appear to grow from the rock as a solid tube with a bulge at the bottom. They emit a stringy web like net.

Here is a hitchhiker guide I located on the web.

Reef Tank Hitchhiker ID · Saltwateraquarist.com

Some reef tank hitchhikers are good, while others are bad or neither. Here is a reef tank hitchhiker ID list for the most common hitchhikers.

saltwateraquarist.com

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

The third pic there shows them the clearest - digitate hydroids.

 

[Stephen8169301]

Possibly vermetid snail?

 

[Leonardstdr]

The third pic there shows them the clearest - digitate hydroids.

Thank you, definitely digitate hydroids after looking up pictures of them. Any recommendations for removal?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thank you, definitely digitate hydroids after looking up pictures of them. Any recommendations for removal?

The suggestions I’ve heard include picking them out with tweezers, starving them out (a few different methods for this, but the one quoted below seems to be the most prevalent in use), and using dwarf angefish/certain wrasses to eat them.

Looks like a colony of digitate Hydroids. You will need to starve them simply by directing water flow towards them, not at them and they will soon starve