what are these?

blurry · Feb 21, 2010

These are growing on a zoa colony which is a ball glued to some rubble. I tried touching them, most of them didn't care, a couple balled up, but the tube length stayed the same.

I'm new to this and hoping this isn't the dreaded plague!

thanks for the help!

juicemonkey · Feb 21, 2010

Aptaisia!!!!!

heranatomy · Feb 21, 2010

:horse::beat_shot::waaaht: ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

ficklefins · Feb 21, 2010

Do they retract entirely when you touch them?

blurry · Feb 21, 2010

ficklefins said:
Do they retract entirely when you touch them?

They didn't seem to care much that I touched them. a couple the head balled up, but the length stayed the same, I'm going to try and take some more pictures tomorrow.

problem is these things are TINY! so small I can barely see them.

Reef Pets · Feb 21, 2010

Hydroids?

Wy Renegade · Feb 22, 2010

I'm guessing hydroids as well, although several look as those they may have a casing, so could be some type of encased featherduster worm.

benny z · Feb 22, 2010

they resemble colonial hydroids to me, too, though they appear slightly different then the strand i've seen locally.

MikeB · Feb 22, 2010

benny z said:
they resemble colonial hydroids to me, too, though they appear slightly different then the strand i've seen locally.

+1

650-IS350 · Feb 22, 2010

Hyroids +1

Troylee · Feb 22, 2010

i would say hydroids also....there not as bad as aptasia but can be a problem if they come in contact with corals...

650-IS350 · Feb 22, 2010

problem with that is as the polyp tries to open up as wide as it can to sun tan, it can as it'll get constatnly stung by the hrydroid, be it stressing it or to the point were the polyp can't open and starve of light.

Mitsuko · Feb 22, 2010

+1 hydroids...if there only is a few pull them out with tweezers making sure to get the stringy roots or else they will come back.

blurry · Feb 22, 2010

I attempted removal (fortunately out of the tank)

here is what I pulled out:

and the swimming team that was included:

any suggestions on whether or not the tank needs to be treated?

benny z · Feb 22, 2010

only thing that i know of that will nuke hydroids effectively is panacure, and i would NOT recommend dosing your tank with it.

i had an extreme case of another strand of hydroids that literally covered 75% of one of my tanks some time ago and i used panacure in a last-ditch effort to get rid of them. it worked, but i ended up pulling all of the corals and inverts first. panacure will absorb into the liverock and it will be some time before it can be reused in a reef aquarium. i ended up nuking everything, cleansing the rock with a bleach and then muriatic acid bath, and have been using it since.