Hydroids or micro feather dusters?

[mfollen]

Hey reefers,

I need help with an ID so I know if this is something I need to treat to remove (hydroids) or not (feather dusters)..

I got a zoa frag recently that had one of these on it. Now they are all over in my sump, but not in my display as I have grazers.

I worry that if they are hydroids then they will grow in between zoa polyps and sting the zoa and will need to be treated.

Hoping they are some sort of micro feather duster instead. Does anyone have an idea here on what I’m dealing with?

Thank you very much!

 

[Ajayabb]

Looks like hydroids to me. They will probably pass over the next couple weeks. I had an outbreak too and over time they slowly disappeared.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Agree that they are hydroids but not ones you need to worry about getting in the display.

 

[mfollen]

Hmm.. thank you both!!
They’re in the display too but limited due to the grazers, I wonder if these can sting sps or zoa if they grow between or next to polyps

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

They will likely not live very long. How old is your tank?

 

[mfollen]

7 months by now.

 

[mfollen]

These guys appear to be uniform in size and shape. They don’t extend out further like branching hydroids or digitata hydroids.
Up close they look similar to feather dusters and hydroids. It’s very hard to tell.

Hydroid structure:

Obelia hydroids growth:

A similar hydroids from another reefer’s pic (not mine)

Another similar hydroid from another reefer’s pic (not mine)

One more similar hydroid, branches out

Mine:

Any more ideas? Thank you

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

These guys appear to be uniform in size and shape. They don’t extend out further like branching hydroids or digitata hydroids.
Up close they look similar to feather dusters and hydroids. It’s very hard to tell.

Hydroid structure:

Obelia hydroids growth:

A similar hydroids from another reefer’s pic (not mine)

Another similar hydroid from another reefer’s pic (not mine)

One more similar hydroid, branches out

Mine:

Any more ideas? Thank you

Several of us who have had these in our tanks have identified what you have as hydroids...
What other ideas do you need??

 

[mfollen]

Confirmation if these are hydroids or any other opinions, as it does not appear definite. Let me know otherwise.

Did you have these? Is there experience where these disappear on their own?

I’m open to any and all ideas.

Thank you all

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Did you have these? Is there experience where these disappear on their own?

Yes, and yes.

 

[mfollen]

Ok thank you. No treatments or changes made?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I agree that these are some kind of hydroids, and they most likely will disappear on their own, no treatments needed. OP, the hydroids you referenced above are colonial hydroids (branching, digitate, hydroids connected by stolons, etc. are all types of colonial hydroids) - if yours are sessile (i.e. if they're in the polyp phase), then yours may well be a solitary species rather than a colonial species. If they are free-swimming, then they may either be an oddly shaped species, or they may have just finished strobilation (i.e. they may have just finished turning from polyp to ephyra - ephyra being basically a baby hydrozoan and the precursor to the medusa stage).

 

[mfollen]

Thank you, this is very insightful!

Sounds like these hydroids are likely either not a colonial species, hence the uniform single ephyra polyp shape, or they are all part of a bloom and are changing in process, and have not reached the colonial stage.

I hope these do disappear. I don’t know why they would though... In the display I have tangs, snails and cherub angelfish who eat them. But I really do hope there’s something I can do or something that happens for them to disappear. I’m willing to do a fenbendazole treatment if needed, but really prefer avoiding that if I can.

Thank you everyone for you input and experiences. This has stumped me

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thank you, this is very insightful!

Sounds like these hydroids are likely either not a colonial species, hence the uniform single ephyra polyp shape, or they are all part of a bloom and are changing in process, and have not reached the colonial stage.

I hope these do disappear. I don’t know why they would though... In the display I have tangs, snails and cherub angelfish who eat them. But I really do hope there’s something I can do or something that happens for them to disappear. I’m willing to do a fenbendazole treatment if needed, but really prefer avoiding that if I can.

Thank you everyone for you input and experiences. This has stumped me

They typically starve is my understanding (our tanks don't usually have proper foods for microfauna like these).

 

[damsels are not mean]

hydroids usually boom and bust. Some colonial hydroids become established and I have a colony of those but the zoanthids seem to just grow through and over them without issue so I don't really care. All they do is fill in space. The ones you have are not colonial.

 

[mfollen]

Ok thank you everyone.
It’s very relieving to hear I may not need to dose fenbendazole.

I have been dosing phytoplankton every three-four days to help my system establish (help the rock microfauna). I assume the live phyto likely is fueling these hydroids?
All I do otherwise is feed my fish non-frozen 5 times a day.

Thank you very much.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Ok thank you everyone.
It’s very relieving to hear I may not need to dose fenbendazole.

I have been dosing phytoplankton every three-four days to help my system establish (help the rock microfauna). I assume the live phyto likely is fueling these hydroids?
All I do otherwise is feed my fish non-frozen 5 times a day.

Thank you very much.

Maybe phyto is feeding them but we see this pattern all the time with hydroids of boom and bust. If they actually lasted any time you'd see a million threads about how to remove them because these booms and busts happen in lots of tanks. I doubt that's the case. If they persist for a couple more weeks see if dropping the phyto helps.

 

[mfollen]

Thank you so much. Hearing this news from everyone made my day : )

I’ve been working very hard on this new system which is turning the corner with coral doing well now. Really was hoping to avoid fenbendazole.

Will follow up with updates in the next few weeks.