Digitate hydroids help?

TOURKID · 05/01/2006, 05:17 PM

ok, So Ive identified what I have... but whats the deal? They seem to be multipling by the dozens, and they are ALWAYS swaying around. I have more than Id like really! Any way to get rid of a few

Do they sting, or just filter feed?

jgsensor · 05/01/2006, 05:32 PM

Yes they pack a powerful sting, I wouldn't touch with your bare hand. They are very hard to get rid of. You can find several post on here if you do a search. To rid them is a battle and depending on how many you have the methods can very, but get rid of them as asap before they spread to the whole tank. I fought mine for at least two years. You can try covering them with a kalk paste if it is only a small area. If all possible remove the rock they are on from the tank and battle them outside of the tank. This will help in keeping them from spreading. You could also try removing the rock and use a hard bristle brush to scrub them off the rock. I have heard some poeple use tweezers to remove them from the rock, but that has to be some work. You have to be sure to remove all trace of them including the runners or they will grow back. I finally had to remove the rock from the tank and placed it in RO water in a covered trash can for about a month. After that I scrubbed the rock and blasted it with a hose rinsed it and placed it in a covered trash can with salt water for another month. Unfortunately this kills the whole rock, but it was they only way I could win the war. Good luck.

TOURKID · 05/01/2006, 05:41 PM

wow. i noticed about three when i started my tank. dident know. id say in the past month i have oh.... 20?

so will these sting future corals? if i try tweezers, how do i get the whole worm without just ripping off its stinger thing?

kalk paste... is that kalkwasser mixed real thick? I dont use the kalk method, just kents calcium with the occasional dkh buffer

im kinda alarmed

jgsensor · 05/01/2006, 07:45 PM

First off, hydroids are not a worm, but are related to jellyfish. They are only on the outside of the rock and are attached to it by stolans which will look like roots that spread out across the rock or whatever they are attached to. Mine would sting the daylights out of my hands and would leave welts that would make my hand swell. They didn't seem to have any affect on my soft corals except to compete for space. However, they overtook and killed my sps corals and xenia.

If you only have around 20 or so, I would try using kalk. Just mix some kalk with tank water until it is a thick paste. You can then put it in a syringe or maybe a turkey baster and then cover the hydroids completely. You might have to apply it a couple of times. If you are doing it in the tank turn off any power heads in the tank so it won't blow the kalk around while you are applying it. Just make sure the kalk doesn't get on any corals in the tank.

I had mine in a 180gal tank that started about the size of a quater and after a year they coved about 70% of the tank.

Randall_James · 05/01/2006, 08:25 PM

Ignore the things, they are impossible to keep alive if you wanted to.
Most tanks go thru a period of these things in the first 6 or 9 months and then they will be gone forever

TOURKID · 05/01/2006, 08:45 PM

lol so i should go from alarmed to completely aloof?

Randall_James · 05/01/2006, 09:47 PM

basically, the things are ultra finicky and fragile. If you wanted to keep them alive you would not be able to. So unless you have some very hardy strain, just keep up on your tank service and they will disappear in a few weeks normally.

jgsensor · 05/01/2006, 11:50 PM

Well in my experiance the hydroids I had were monster and I have talked with several others who couldn't get there's to die. I had my 180 get to 92 degrees and the salt level dropped to 1.009 (numerous eqiupment problems that week, but that's another thread). I lost all my corals and a few fish, but the hydriods thrived in it. In fact the almost doubled the colony size that week.

The hydroids I had are in the above picture just in front of the foxface's nose.

TOURKID · 05/02/2006, 05:24 AM

yeah.. i dident have a problem with them while i went thru my newbie stage and had multiple things wrong. but now that the tank is stable for a few weeks they are spreading. gonna hafta do more research i guess

Randall_James · 05/02/2006, 06:47 AM

The photo is not very good, the only thing I see is what looks like a chunk of aptasia and another just above the banded goby's dorsal fin looks to be another aptasia. If you have a digital camera I would suggest getting an image of what ever it is you have. Missed ID's can be problematic even with good images

Amphiprion · 05/02/2006, 06:50 AM

I have some small hydroid patches that I have had for many years.

Randall_James · 05/02/2006, 07:02 AM

TOURKID · 05/02/2006, 08:29 AM

mine seem whiter and fuzier. ill try to get a pic up this afternoon

ManEatingGuppy · 05/02/2006, 04:37 PM

my lunar wrasse got rid of them, im pretty sure similar wrasse will get rid of urs too. it also ate all my hitch hikers except dusters. ive touched them with my bare hands before. i still have some, doesnt seem to bother my corals.

jgsensor · 05/02/2006, 10:55 PM

The hydroids are on the right side of the above pic. I would try to get a better pic, but I have since killed mine off. I only have old pics to work with. The hydroids I had look nothing like the one in Randall James pic. Mine were colonial hydroids. Here is another old pic, maybe that will help.

funman1 · 05/02/2006, 11:38 PM

Hey randal I have those in my tank too..
I just thought they were worms or something..
I rarely see them and then they disappear??

TOURKID · 05/03/2006, 06:07 AM

ok got a pic after the lights came on. its a pretty infested area, but alot dident show up (im a horrible aqua picture taker)

the holes in the rocks have 5 or so each

jallen18 · 02/17/2009, 10:36 AM

Wanted to revisit this and see if any of you had luck with the kalk paste, I'm still fighting a vicious battle with mine, this is an old pic, but these are the type I have:

jgsensor · 02/17/2009, 09:50 PM

Kalk worked a little for me, but never seemed to kill it all. Kind of like fighting aptasia, if you don't kill ever last bit of it, it just comes back. The only way I was able to rid my tank of it was to remove the rock, scrub it with a firm brush and cook it in R/O water. Good luck.

Bofa · 06/30/2009, 11:51 AM

Would Joes Juice work on these? or a worm killing agent?

ILoveReefer · 06/30/2009, 01:34 PM

They are not worms. Joes juice and aptasia x aren't made to combat hydroids. They may work a little but it's not worth the cost. Kalk paste is worth trying but in my experience removing the rock and cooking it is the only way to totally remove hydroids from a rock. Downside is you kill the rock at least temporarily.

Bofa · 06/30/2009, 02:41 PM

The problem is my Hydroids are attached to coral and I don't want to kill the coral....Is Kalk paste the only thing that will work? Anything that eats these Hydroids? They sounds like computer robots...ahahah

sdc19982002 · 06/30/2009, 03:15 PM

I had them bad in my tank for about 4 months, and then the dissapeared. give it a little time and they'll go away. I had alot on my zoos and they never effected them.

ILoveReefer · 06/30/2009, 03:38 PM

To my knowledge nothing eats hydroids. Most seem to have little to no effect on corals. But there are so many different hydroids and so many different corals it's hard to say what the reaction will be until it happens in your tank.

Bofa · 06/30/2009, 03:57 PM

Ok thanks guys.... How do they just go away? Something must kill them

05/01/2006, 05:17 PM	#1
TOURKID Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vegas baby, Vegas Posts: 4,371	Digitate hydroids help? ok, So Ive identified what I have... but whats the deal? They seem to be multipling by the dozens, and they are ALWAYS swaying around. I have more than Id like really! Any way to get rid of a few Do they sting, or just filter feed?

05/01/2006, 05:41 PM	#3
TOURKID Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vegas baby, Vegas Posts: 4,371	wow. i noticed about three when i started my tank. dident know. id say in the past month i have oh.... 20? so will these sting future corals? if i try tweezers, how do i get the whole worm without just ripping off its stinger thing? kalk paste... is that kalkwasser mixed real thick? I dont use the kalk method, just kents calcium with the occasional dkh buffer im kinda alarmed __________________ RISK more than others think is safe CARE more than others think is wise DREAM more than others think is practical EXPECT more than others think is possible Current Tank Info: nada

05/01/2006, 08:25 PM	#5
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	Ignore the things, they are impossible to keep alive if you wanted to. Most tanks go thru a period of these things in the first 6 or 9 months and then they will be gone forever __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/01/2006, 08:45 PM	#6
TOURKID Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vegas baby, Vegas Posts: 4,371	lol so i should go from alarmed to completely aloof? __________________ RISK more than others think is safe CARE more than others think is wise DREAM more than others think is practical EXPECT more than others think is possible Current Tank Info: nada

05/01/2006, 09:47 PM	#7
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	basically, the things are ultra finicky and fragile. If you wanted to keep them alive you would not be able to. So unless you have some very hardy strain, just keep up on your tank service and they will disappear in a few weeks normally. __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/01/2006, 05:32 PM	#2
jgsensor Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 370	Yes they pack a powerful sting, I wouldn't touch with your bare hand. They are very hard to get rid of. You can find several post on here if you do a search. To rid them is a battle and depending on how many you have the methods can very, but get rid of them as asap before they spread to the whole tank. I fought mine for at least two years. You can try covering them with a kalk paste if it is only a small area. If all possible remove the rock they are on from the tank and battle them outside of the tank. This will help in keeping them from spreading. You could also try removing the rock and use a hard bristle brush to scrub them off the rock. I have heard some poeple use tweezers to remove them from the rock, but that has to be some work. You have to be sure to remove all trace of them including the runners or they will grow back. I finally had to remove the rock from the tank and placed it in RO water in a covered trash can for about a month. After that I scrubbed the rock and blasted it with a hose rinsed it and placed it in a covered trash can with salt water for another month. Unfortunately this kills the whole rock, but it was they only way I could win the war. Good luck.

05/01/2006, 07:45 PM	#4
jgsensor Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 370	First off, hydroids are not a worm, but are related to jellyfish. They are only on the outside of the rock and are attached to it by stolans which will look like roots that spread out across the rock or whatever they are attached to. Mine would sting the daylights out of my hands and would leave welts that would make my hand swell. They didn't seem to have any affect on my soft corals except to compete for space. However, they overtook and killed my sps corals and xenia. If you only have around 20 or so, I would try using kalk. Just mix some kalk with tank water until it is a thick paste. You can then put it in a syringe or maybe a turkey baster and then cover the hydroids completely. You might have to apply it a couple of times. If you are doing it in the tank turn off any power heads in the tank so it won't blow the kalk around while you are applying it. Just make sure the kalk doesn't get on any corals in the tank. I had mine in a 180gal tank that started about the size of a quater and after a year they coved about 70% of the tank.

05/01/2006, 11:50 PM	#8
jgsensor Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 370	Well in my experiance the hydroids I had were monster and I have talked with several others who couldn't get there's to die. I had my 180 get to 92 degrees and the salt level dropped to 1.009 (numerous eqiupment problems that week, but that's another thread). I lost all my corals and a few fish, but the hydriods thrived in it. In fact the almost doubled the colony size that week. The hydroids I had are in the above picture just in front of the foxface's nose.

05/02/2006, 05:24 AM	#9
TOURKID Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vegas baby, Vegas Posts: 4,371	yeah.. i dident have a problem with them while i went thru my newbie stage and had multiple things wrong. but now that the tank is stable for a few weeks they are spreading. gonna hafta do more research i guess __________________ RISK more than others think is safe CARE more than others think is wise DREAM more than others think is practical EXPECT more than others think is possible Current Tank Info: nada

05/02/2006, 06:47 AM	#10
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	The photo is not very good, the only thing I see is what looks like a chunk of aptasia and another just above the banded goby's dorsal fin looks to be another aptasia. If you have a digital camera I would suggest getting an image of what ever it is you have. Missed ID's can be problematic even with good images __________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/02/2006, 06:50 AM	#11
Amphiprion Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 6,611	I have some small hydroid patches that I have had for many years. __________________ You've done it now, haven't you? Current Tank Info: 40g breeder patch reef w/ seagrass; 2-250w XM 10K; Vortech MP40wES & MP10wES; BM Curve 7 skimmer; carbon & occasional GFO

05/02/2006, 07:02 AM	#12
Randall_James Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 6,727	__________________ "It's a dog eat dog world and I feel like I am wearing milkbone underwear"

05/02/2006, 08:29 AM	#13
TOURKID Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vegas baby, Vegas Posts: 4,371	mine seem whiter and fuzier. ill try to get a pic up this afternoon __________________ RISK more than others think is safe CARE more than others think is wise DREAM more than others think is practical EXPECT more than others think is possible Current Tank Info: nada

05/02/2006, 04:37 PM	#14
ManEatingGuppy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 616	my lunar wrasse got rid of them, im pretty sure similar wrasse will get rid of urs too. it also ate all my hitch hikers except dusters. ive touched them with my bare hands before. i still have some, doesnt seem to bother my corals.

05/02/2006, 10:55 PM	#15
jgsensor Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 370	The hydroids are on the right side of the above pic. I would try to get a better pic, but I have since killed mine off. I only have old pics to work with. The hydroids I had look nothing like the one in Randall James pic. Mine were colonial hydroids. Here is another old pic, maybe that will help.

05/02/2006, 11:38 PM	#16
funman1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 4,898	Hey randal I have those in my tank too.. I just thought they were worms or something.. I rarely see them and then they disappear?? __________________ Professional Pyro: NO REALLY; I get PAID to blow stuff up!! ~Steve~ Current Tank Info: 12G NANO

05/03/2006, 06:07 AM	#17
TOURKID Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vegas baby, Vegas Posts: 4,371	ok got a pic after the lights came on. its a pretty infested area, but alot dident show up (im a horrible aqua picture taker) the holes in the rocks have 5 or so each __________________ RISK more than others think is safe CARE more than others think is wise DREAM more than others think is practical EXPECT more than others think is possible Current Tank Info: nada

02/17/2009, 10:36 AM	#18
jallen18 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 91	Wanted to revisit this and see if any of you had luck with the kalk paste, I'm still fighting a vicious battle with mine, this is an old pic, but these are the type I have:

02/17/2009, 09:50 PM	#19
jgsensor Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 370	Kalk worked a little for me, but never seemed to kill it all. Kind of like fighting aptasia, if you don't kill ever last bit of it, it just comes back. The only way I was able to rid my tank of it was to remove the rock, scrub it with a firm brush and cook it in R/O water. Good luck.

06/30/2009, 11:51 AM	#20
Bofa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 215	Would Joes Juice work on these? or a worm killing agent?

06/30/2009, 01:34 PM	#21
ILoveReefer Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cheektowaga Posts: 851	They are not worms. Joes juice and aptasia x aren't made to combat hydroids. They may work a little but it's not worth the cost. Kalk paste is worth trying but in my experience removing the rock and cooking it is the only way to totally remove hydroids from a rock. Downside is you kill the rock at least temporarily.

06/30/2009, 02:41 PM	#22
Bofa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 215	The problem is my Hydroids are attached to coral and I don't want to kill the coral....Is Kalk paste the only thing that will work? Anything that eats these Hydroids? They sounds like computer robots...ahahah

06/30/2009, 03:15 PM	#23
sdc19982002 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Wills Point,Texas Posts: 925	I had them bad in my tank for about 4 months, and then the dissapeared. give it a little time and they'll go away. I had alot on my zoos and they never effected them.

06/30/2009, 03:38 PM	#24
ILoveReefer Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Cheektowaga Posts: 851	To my knowledge nothing eats hydroids. Most seem to have little to no effect on corals. But there are so many different hydroids and so many different corals it's hard to say what the reaction will be until it happens in your tank.

06/30/2009, 03:57 PM	#25
Bofa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 215	Ok thanks guys.... How do they just go away? Something must kill them