Weird Strands on Xenia Coral

[Le Dirk]

I noticed that my Xenia have been hiding away lately and just this evening I saw this weird white strands sticking to them, what’s happening to the colony?

 

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Hard to see. Can you take picture under white light?

 

[Le Dirk]

Hard to see. Can you take picture under white light?

I’ll do so when I get home from work!

 

[jhadaway]

Looks like vermetid snails on the bottom left? brown tubes. Hard to see.

 

[Le Dirk]

Hard to see. Can you take picture under white light?

Is this better?

 

[AFHokie]

That is Xenia? I just see a plug and rock covered with that “stringy stuff”

Are they hydroids? Can’t really make our the picture. It looks like a ton of little vermetid tubes but I’ve never seen them put out strings like that. Usually it’s long mucus strands/webs.

 

[EricR]

Can't see the pic that clearly but Google "colonial hydroids" and see if that's what they look like.

 

[Le Dirk]

That is Xenia? I just see a plug and rock covered with that “stringy stuff”

Are they hydroids? Can’t really make our the picture. It looks like a ton of little vermetid tubes but I’ve never seen them put out strings like that. Usually it’s long mucus strands/webs.

Sorry! No those are clove polyps, I’m not sure why I thought Xenia

 

[AFHokie]

That is Xenia? I just see a plug and rock covered with that “stringy stuff”

Sorry! No those are clove polyps, I’m not sure why I thought Xenia

Definitely algae on the frag along with what we you are looking at. Are all the little purple squiggles the polyps or the invader you are talking about?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I noticed that my Xenia have been hiding away lately and just this evening I saw this weird white strands sticking to them, what’s happening to the colony?

I believe those are colonial hydroids and you will need to starve them as they are in a tough location for picking off

 

[Le Dirk]

Definitely algae on the frag along with what we you are looking at. Are all the little purple squiggles the polyps or the invader you are talking about?

Yeah, I have no idea what they are they are all coming from where the polyps would. They don’t do this before growing do they? I don’t think I’ve read about this

 

[AFHokie]

Yeah, I have no idea what they are they are all coming from where the polyps would. They don’t do this before growing do they? I don’t think I’ve read about this

Nothing I see in the pic looks like polyps.

Seems I’m not the only one guessing hydroids so that’s what I’d lean toward.

Unfortunately I’ve never had them so can’t say how you should treat them.

 

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Is this better?

Yes much better picture. I see you say clove polyps. I do t see the cloves if the whitish is your invader. I do see a lot of Algea. Might try a hydrogen peroxide dip.

Here is a article on humble.fish that gives recommended dosage.

Might at least clear the Algea. Then if it is hydroids like others are suggesting, it seems manual removal with magnifying glass and tweezers might be the way to go.