digitate hydroids

jacob.morgan78 · 01/20/2012, 02:01 PM

These things are really irritating me. I've read everything from let them go away on their own to you couldn't keep them alive if you wanted to. Well... they've stayed alive long enough for me! They've been around for about a month now and I can't help but think they are irritating my corals. Most of my corals (frags currently) have them close to them. I really see them out at night.

Can you offer any direction or guidance with these guys?

Thanks!

tebstan · 01/20/2012, 04:32 PM

I've had them come and go, but never really tried to get rid of them. It took a while to ID them in the first place, and I never saw anything that implied they could be removed. As long as I stay on top of water quality they don't get out of hand. They don't appear to irritate anything (other than me) so I stopped worrying about it. When they got really bad, they did irritate my clove polyps and some hitch hiker clams.

I tried sucking them off with a syringe and snipping them with scissors. Not worth the effort.

I'd like to hear if anyone else has had success with removing them

jacob.morgan78 · 01/20/2012, 06:44 PM

I've tried removing them too but don't know if I'm doing any good. I just don't believe that they're not doing any harm.

tebstan · 01/20/2012, 07:23 PM

What kind of corals do you keep? I had mostly zoas and leathers when I had a bad outbreak. I've got LPS now, but the hydroids haven't been overgrown since adding them. I've never really had SPS.

jacob.morgan78 · 01/20/2012, 10:19 PM

Mixed frags at the moment... Little bit of everything... Still relatively young, about seven months

SushiGirl · 01/20/2012, 10:47 PM

I had a bad outbreak of them too, they're actually starting to abate a bit in the past month or so. Tank is just over a year old. I think you just have to outwait them.

Ralph ATL · 01/20/2012, 11:01 PM

I yanked the colonies out with tweezers and keep and ulns...I havn't seen them in a few years...

SushiGirl · 01/20/2012, 11:08 PM

Digitates don't really live in colonies. Are you talking about colonial hydroids?
I tried yanking a digitate out with tweezers once and it didn't work LOL.

Ralph ATL · 01/21/2012, 06:50 AM

yes all kinds of hydroids, but mostly colonial. I've zapped them with kalk, too.

tebstan · 01/21/2012, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacob.morgan78

I've read everything from let them go away on their own to you couldn't keep them alive if you wanted to.

Who tried to keep them alive? Maybe they ran a low nutrient system so didn't think they were a nuisance. I've never heard of a predator for them.

I got a digitate off with a syringe by sucking on it. The poor little thing looked like it was being sucked through a wind tunnel, flapping around in the syringe, but still wouldn't come off easy. I spent five minutes on one, was proud to have removed it, then looked over the hundreds or thousands still in the tank, and decided to give up.

jacob.morgan78 · 01/21/2012, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tebstan

Who tried to keep them alive?

They didnt, they were speaking to the point that it would be difficult to keep them alive for a long amount of time... However, I'm now thinking about trying to keep them alive so they will possibly go away faster! :-/

SushiGirl · 01/21/2012, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacob.morgan78

They didnt, they were speaking to the point that it would be difficult to keep them alive for a long amount of time... However, I'm now thinking about trying to keep them alive so they will possibly go away faster! :-/

LOL! I'm beginning to suspect that they're like the hydroids that make the star-shaped jellyfish that show up so often in new tanks. Find 1 or 2, find a ton, then the boom passes. I definitely have less now than I did a month ago. A month ago I had a few moments of "oh crap" thinking I was going to be overrun with the things forever.

Tank2379 · 02/03/2012, 11:35 AM

I have the same they are irrating non the less but just wondering also how to get rid of them?

tebstan · 02/03/2012, 11:50 AM

I cleaned my tank, and they went away...

I get a little lax on the water changes because I have bio pellets and softies/filter feeders that like less than pristine water. I did two 20g water changes, two weeks apart. (On a 90g)

No more hydroids.

01/20/2012, 02:01 PM	#1
jacob.morgan78 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Farmville, VA Posts: 1,184	digitate hydroids These things are really irritating me. I've read everything from let them go away on their own to you couldn't keep them alive if you wanted to. Well... they've stayed alive long enough for me! They've been around for about a month now and I can't help but think they are irritating my corals. Most of my corals (frags currently) have them close to them. I really see them out at night. Can you offer any direction or guidance with these guys? Thanks!

01/20/2012, 04:32 PM	#2
tebstan Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 961	I've had them come and go, but never really tried to get rid of them. It took a while to ID them in the first place, and I never saw anything that implied they could be removed. As long as I stay on top of water quality they don't get out of hand. They don't appear to irritate anything (other than me) so I stopped worrying about it. When they got really bad, they did irritate my clove polyps and some hitch hiker clams. I tried sucking them off with a syringe and snipping them with scissors. Not worth the effort. I'd like to hear if anyone else has had success with removing them __________________ Washington's Rule #110: Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

01/20/2012, 07:23 PM	#4
tebstan Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 961	What kind of corals do you keep? I had mostly zoas and leathers when I had a bad outbreak. I've got LPS now, but the hydroids haven't been overgrown since adding them. I've never really had SPS. __________________ Washington's Rule #110: Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

01/20/2012, 10:47 PM	#6
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	I had a bad outbreak of them too, they're actually starting to abate a bit in the past month or so. Tank is just over a year old. I think you just have to outwait them. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

01/20/2012, 11:01 PM	#7
Ralph ATL Formerly mysterybox Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Flowery Branch, GA (North ATL) Posts: 1,842	I yanked the colonies out with tweezers and keep and ulns...I havn't seen them in a few years... __________________ Ralph Scheriff

01/20/2012, 06:44 PM	#3
jacob.morgan78 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Farmville, VA Posts: 1,184	I've tried removing them too but don't know if I'm doing any good. I just don't believe that they're not doing any harm.

01/20/2012, 10:19 PM	#5
jacob.morgan78 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Farmville, VA Posts: 1,184	Mixed frags at the moment... Little bit of everything... Still relatively young, about seven months

01/20/2012, 11:08 PM	#8
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Digitates don't really live in colonies. Are you talking about colonial hydroids? I tried yanking a digitate out with tweezers once and it didn't work LOL. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

01/21/2012, 06:50 AM	#9
Ralph ATL Formerly mysterybox Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Flowery Branch, GA (North ATL) Posts: 1,842	yes all kinds of hydroids, but mostly colonial. I've zapped them with kalk, too. __________________ Ralph Scheriff

02/03/2012, 11:35 AM	#13
Tank2379 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chicago(Logan Square/Humbolt Park) Posts: 4,204	I have the same they are irrating non the less but just wondering also how to get rid of them? __________________ 90G- Powered By Tek T-5 8 bulb 1X MP10wES,1 MP40wes, Waveline DC4000, Octopus Skimmer NW150, Apex lite, Eshopps RS200 sump 80G Frag system- Powered by 2X MH Pendants with 250W 20K Radiums, DIY S

02/03/2012, 11:50 AM	#14
tebstan Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 961	I cleaned my tank, and they went away... I get a little lax on the water changes because I have bio pellets and softies/filter feeders that like less than pristine water. I did two 20g water changes, two weeks apart. (On a 90g) No more hydroids. __________________ Washington's Rule #110: Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.