ID this algae please

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Okay @twilliard and @Lionfish Lair I definitely have hydroids not sure if the algae we have been questioning is related in any way and would still like to send Twil a sample for ID. Any way I was looking around my sump this evening and it is covered in tiny hydroids. They are clear, look like little anemones. A few weeks ago I remember seeing these little guys in my fuge that I thought were baby mini brittle stars. What is in my sump is the polyp stage in the following image.
IMG_1479174470.064220.jpg


And this is what I saw in my refugium a few weeks ago. Not my image.
IMG_1479174503.758659.jpg


Any ideas of what kind these are and any treatments? Thanks again for all your time folks!
 
Yes, they're from those structures because you can see them... the little white dots are medusae leaving the plant in a couple of places. I can also see them attached in several places... like the picture above where I added the diagram in post #32. The red arrows I also drew in, that's the "stems" that the buds were attached to.... they've already left.

Now, there could be more than one thing in there, it doesn't all have to be either/or.
 
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Deltec
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Hmmm, doing a lot of thinking about time line and the appearance of this stuff. A couple weeks ago I added a new chunk of coral from my LFS I did not dip as my tank has a total of 7 frags in it. Just before that I took an idea from Paul B and went to the shore up here in Maine and collected some amphipods from some small tide pools. However I feel like the strands have been present in the refugium for much longer.
 
AS
fragit said:
Tank has been wet since August, so 3-4 months old.
Click to expand...

Then you're on target for when these seem to appear. New tanks have more film algae and diatoms and such. These algae cause a little temporary climb in numbers of the pod population, as they dine on the algae. The pods in turn feed the hydroids. Then, the new tank algae will fade, the pod numbers drop and often the hydroids die off.

I've had all sorts of different ones over the years and would personally wait to see what they do. They don't currently seem to be harming anything, do they? I know others do not like to wait, so maybe they can share their decisions/treatments with you.
 
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Lionfish Lair said:
Then you're on target for when these seem to appear. New tanks have more film algae and diatoms and such. These algae cause a little temporary climb in numbers of the pod population, as they dine on the algae. The pods in turn feed the hydroids. Then, the new tank algae will fade, the pod numbers drop and often the hydroids die off.

I've had all sorts of different ones over the years and would personally wait to see what they do. They don't currently seem to be harming anything, do they? I know others do not like to wait, so maybe they can share their decisions/treatments with you.
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree the tank is new. Nothing seems really bothered, maybe the last couple days. But I also just switched to the full AquaForest line, and my big 3 dosing regime has changed a little. So the tank is adjusting to that, plus my Mg was a bit low and I raised that up between Sunday and today. I'm hoping once the tank is ULNS that they will go away. Interesting for you to bring up the pods. My copepod population is huge, they are every where. Maybe once the nutrients go down some more the hydroids will die off. I will keep my eyes peeled. I'm not to keep on putting fenbendozole in the tank yet. Hopefully I won't have to. Thanks for all the help, I will keep you all posted.
 
Lionfish Lair said:
Then you're on target for when these seem to appear. New tanks have more film algae and diatoms and such. These algae cause a little temporary climb in numbers of the pod population, as they dine on the algae. The pods in turn feed the hydroids. Then, the new tank algae will fade, the pod numbers drop and often the hydroids die off.

I've had all sorts of different ones over the years and would personally wait to see what they do. They don't currently seem to be harming anything, do they? I know others do not like to wait, so maybe they can share their decisions/treatments with you.
Click to expand...
Probably the best hitchiker Ive seen on r3r so far. Way to get that one Renee!

fragit said:
Yes, I agree the tank is new. Nothing seems really bothered, maybe the last couple days. But I also just switched to the full AquaForest line, and my big 3 dosing regime has changed a little. So the tank is adjusting to that, plus my Mg was a bit low and I raised that up between Sunday and today. I'm hoping once the tank is ULNS that they will go away. Interesting for you to bring up the pods. My copepod population is huge, they are every where. Maybe once the nutrients go down some more the hydroids will die off. I will keep my eyes peeled. I'm not to keep on putting fenbendozole in the tank yet. Hopefully I won't have to. Thanks for all the help, I will keep you all posted.
Click to expand...
Hydroids get a very bad rap in aquaria as some are bad. But so are some snails.

Im in love with the smalls of our systems. In my observations of my tanks and others, the appearance of hydroids foraminiferans, bryozoans, sponges etc that come in large populations and then fade especially in new tanks I have always found fascinating. Thats actually, once Renee ID'd the critter I asked the age of the tank. In my research on the smalls, the appearance of may of them are directly related to amount of mineral elements in the new tank. Several of theses are actually removed in daily reefkeeping practice by skimming, gfo, carbon and natural depletion. These include Fluoride and silicates. Organic nutrients seem to play very little role in their propagation as like yours, they come from an organically nutrient poor environment, but an astonishingly high mineral nutrient rich environment(the north pole and arctic currents).

So IMO, enjoy them while they last, they will likely be gone and be eaten and reabsorbed back into the system.

For me, Im trying to figure out how one day to keep stuff like that alive. I can imagine a Salp/hydroid, NPS gorg dominant tank.:eek:
 
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Hey guys and gals! Have a little update. Whatever is growing in my DT is most definitely an algae as I caught my one scarlet hermit chowing down on it this evening. I will be sending Todd some samples tomorrow just because I'm really curious about an ID. I had originally purchased 2 scarlet hermits and one lost a home battle. I might go to the LFS tomorrow and try and pick up a couple more and maybe try to vary the species. The hydroids still populate my sump, but pretty sure everything else is algae.
 
AS
I randomly found this thread, and finally came across an image of exactly what I seem to have as well. I was wondering if anyone ever identified this in any fashion? I have a lab setup here as well and was thinking about throwing some of this under the scope if it hasn't been finalized here. Wondering if there was any final indication on what this might be, what might eat it, and how it all went for you. Much like the OP, this is a newer tank (4 months old), and the probable algae popped up at the same time as a diatom and pod populations burst. All my parameters check out pretty well, but phosphates are on the higher side. This is a fishless tank at the moment, just some zoas and shrimp with a minimal clean up crew. Was hoping to add something to mow the lawn so to speak.
Algae example.jpg
 
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