Tiny something?

reeferpat137 · Mar 20, 2023

Got home from vacation, cleaning the tank and it seems to be doing well, will do a parameter check later. But as im checking everything over, i notice a patch of tiny filter feeders of sorts. Any idea of what they are?

Soren · Mar 20, 2023

Hard to see for sure, but it looks like colonial hydroids to me.
If so, they are sometimes a problem and hard to get rid of, but sometimes they go away on their own. Observe surrounding corals and address the issue if the corals respond negatively or you see the hydroids expanding over the rocks very quickly.

\m/reefsnmetal\m/ · Mar 20, 2023

Looks like aptasia

sfin52 · Mar 20, 2023

Soren said:
Hard to see for sure, but it looks like colonial hydroids to me.
If so, they are sometimes a problem and hard to get rid of, but sometimes they go away on their own. Observe surrounding corals and address the issue if the corals respond negatively or you see the hydroids expanding over the rocks very quickly.

Agree

Soren · Mar 20, 2023

\m/reefsnmetal\m/ said:
Looks like aptasia

Yeah, I would not rule out Aiptasia as a possibility, though they would be quite tiny compared to the scale of the picture and they look a bit different from most Aiptasia I have seen (both in-person and in pictures).

reeferpat137 · Mar 20, 2023

\m/reefsnmetal\m/ said:
Looks like aptasia

Nah, i havent had aptasia in any of my tanks for years. Also this has a green hue to them

\m/reefsnmetal\m/ · Mar 20, 2023

Soren said:
Yeah, I would not rule out Aiptasia as a possibility, though they would be quite tiny compared to the scale of the picture and they look a bit different from most Aiptasia I have seen (both in-person and in pictures).

They definitely have different coloring and I've never seen so many bunched up like that, but I bet your suggestion was right.

reeferpat137 · Mar 20, 2023

Soren said:
Hard to see for sure, but it looks like colonial hydroids to me.
If so, they are sometimes a problem and hard to get rid of, but sometimes they go away on their own. Observe surrounding corals and address the issue if the corals respond negatively or you see the hydroids expanding over the rocks very quickly.

What would be the proper solution if such a thing needs to happen?

happyhourhero · Mar 20, 2023

Probably not at all helpful but if you live near the gulf, you can catch blennies that will eat them. I had one that ate a huge patch of hydroids the first day it was in my tank.

Soren · Mar 20, 2023

reeferpat137 said:
What would be the proper solution if such a thing needs to happen?

I cannot answer from lack of first-hand experience.
There are many threads here on R2R about colonial hydroids, so I suggest searching for and reading about them.

Edit: Check out this thread starting at post #3 with a picture very similar to yours:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/colonial-hydroids.441987/#post-5035393