What’s this tentacle thing?

[Arylus]

Hello mighty hivemind, I have them everywhere in my tank, and I could not find them in the Id guides on the interwebs.

 

[andrewey]

At first blush, it looks like a type of hydroid to me.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Agree on hydroids. The second one is a really great picture. I had a hard time finding good shots of them when I was trying to ID.

 

[Arylus]

Agree on hydroids. The second one is a really great picture. I had a hard time finding good shots of them when I was trying to ID.

With some targeted searching I have found them, they are digitate hydroids. Now the question is going to be how bad they are, in 3-6 months I’m switching tanks and getting a foxface and/or copperbanded butterflyfish so they will take care of it then. I just hope they won’t damage my corals in the meantime.

 

[TriggerFinger]

I had a few and they either died out naturally or a peppermint shrimp ate them, not sure which.

 

[andrewey]

I've yet to encounter them hurting someone's corals. In every thread, it's always speculated that it's theoretically possible they could sting coral because of their effect on seahorses, but I haven't read a first hand account of someone actually having an issue with them in a reef tank. I've had them multiple times next to all sorts of lps/sps and never blinked an eye.

 

[Arylus]

I've yet to encounter them hurting someone's corals. In every thread, it's always speculated that it's theoretically possible they could sting coral because of their effect on seahorses, but I haven't read a first hand account of someone actually having an issue with them in a reef tank. I've had them multiple times next to all sorts of lps/sps and never blinked an eye.

Well then I’m not going to worry, they can be food eventually