Hydroids-HELP!

[Mike Olson]

I am trying to find out if there is anyway to kill off hydroids off of live rock and still maintain 'live rock'! I dont want to have cook or dry out 200 lbs. of nice rock. Hopefully there is someone out there who has a better solution!
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/180_Reef_November_007.jpg

[Lance]

[QUOTE=Mike Olson;379081]I am trying to find out if there is anyway to kill off hydroids


"PREPARATION H"
I'm sorry! Couldn't help myself. :redface:

[Delphinus]

Couple potential solutions here. Unfortunately there is no real silver bullet.

1. Scrape them off manually.
2. Cover them with epoxy.
3. Blowtorch (no, seriously. It's something I was considering myself)
4. Pressure washer.
5. Used to have them all over the place, One day I noticed I had hardly any in my 75g, but still had them in other tanks. After researching it a little, found that Centropyge angels can sometimes pick at them. I have a potter's angel. That said, I've never noticed her picking at hydroids specifically, but I thought it interesting to note that all of a sudden I didn't have as many in the tank she's in. Could be coincidence, but still noteworthy.

Good luck. In the grand scheme of things there are worse things to get but they're still quite annoying to look at especially when they spread all over the place.

[Canadian]

This advice kind of differs depending upon which type of hydroid you have but . . .

I panicked when I had them about a year ago and kalked them, changed flow, etc. all to no avail. Then I read somewhere on RC (I think it was on RC) to just let them be and eventually they'll die off. The information I read basically said that at some point in your reef's development it will have conditions perfectly suited to keep them alive and they will thrive briefly. But if you were to try to keep them alive at another point in time you would fail miserably. So I just let them be and they died off within a month never to appear again.

What kind of hydroids do you have? Do you have any pics?

[i have crabs]

i have a few small patches that haven't caused any problems but when i was joe's juicing some aptasia i gave them a squirt and it wiped out a big strip right through the middle of the patch

[whatcaneyedo]

Couple potential solutions here. Unfortunately there is no real silver bullet.

1. Scrape them off manually.
2. Cover them with epoxy.
3. Blowtorch (no, seriously. It's something I was considering myself)
4. Pressure washer.
5. Used to have them all over the place, One day I noticed I had hardly any in my 75g, but still had them in other tanks. After researching it a little, found that Centropyge angels can sometimes pick at them. I have a potter's angel. That said, I've never noticed her picking at hydroids specifically, but I thought it interesting to note that all of a sudden I didn't have as many in the tank she's in. Could be coincidence, but still noteworthy.

Good luck. In the grand scheme of things there are worse things to get but they're still quite annoying to look at especially when they spread all over the place.

You've stumped me, what is worse than hydroids? I've had flat worms, red bugs, aptasia, bubble algae, hair algae, cyano, big ugly crabs, ick, and probably a few other things plus invasive softies like anthelia and GSP but I cant think of anything worse than hydroids. Blow torch them is my advice.

[Delphinus]

:lol: Oh I agree, they're up there but I still think they are not the "worst" thing that can happen to a tank. They won't cause you a tank full of dead fish inside of an hour just because you annoyed them, for example. (Hmmmm, maybe I should add "as far as I know, anyhow" ... just in case!!)

[Whatigot]

i have a few small patches that haven't caused any problems but when i was joe's juicing some aptasia i gave them a squirt and it wiped out a big strip right through the middle of the patch

They'll be back.
I have had some success with taking the piece of rock out and running HOT water (boiled R/O, but I don;t see why tapwater wouldn't work as well) over the affected area.

Every time I kalk, the hydroids come back like raffis cat.
Been 2 weeks since I tried the boiling water method and they have not returned as of yet.

[freddy]

I had a major hydoid popullation,used an old tooth brush just kept brushing them off the rock every time they appeared,soon it was less and less,havn't had any for over 3 months.Worked for me,could work for you.

[Mike Olson]

Thanks for all the ideas. i have tried to brush them away on a regular basis and they kept coming back...I removed the rock and scrubbed with a stainless brush-they came back! Right now I have all my rock in my sump with no light...they appear to have receded-just not sure they are gone! I put a link on my original message that shows them-not a great pic, but I will try to find a better one.

[Carmen]

My CopperBand Butterfly ate mine. Had a couple rocks with quite a few patches and are now all gone. I saw him picking at them a number of times so I assume he is the reason for them disappearing.

[Jim Barry]

I had a serious growth of hydroids and had tried everything to kill them with no success. One day last summer, my chiller broke and my tank went up to around 92 degrees. It killed all my sps and fish, but also killed my hydroids and they have never been back. I suggest you remove a piece of rock with hydroids from your tank and place it in a container and run the temp up to 92 degrees. It worked for me and it is worth testing on a small piece of rock.

Jim

[Whatigot]

similar to my running hot water over the affected area...
definitely effective.

[noirsphynx]

Hammer & chisel, I did it. There are still some in my tank hidden away and at the bottom of 130lbs of rock so I don't try to get those but what I can get at relatively easy I hack away at.

[BlueAbyss]

Leave them alone, they will go away... or not. Hydroids are like algae, if you put something into the system that occupies their 'niche' or outcompetes them, they will recede and maybe even disappear. And as was said above, as reef tanks mature they seem to go through a bunch of stages where you are guaranteed to deal with algae, cyano, and a host of other nasty stuff... maybe this is something to be expected in our little tanks filled with incomplete ecosystems?

[Whatigot]

Leave them alone, they will go away... or not. Hydroids are like algae, if you put something into the system that occupies their 'niche' or outcompetes them, they will recede and maybe even disappear. And as was said above, as reef tanks mature they seem to go through a bunch of stages where you are guaranteed to deal with algae, cyano, and a host of other nasty stuff... maybe this is something to be expected in our little tanks filled with incomplete ecosystems?

every tank is going to experience different "stages", what might have worked for you to just leave to sort itself out, might wind up an epidemic for someone else.
I can't agree that hydroids are like algae...they are a pest like algae, more like Aiptasia in that hydroids give a nasty sting to anything they touch (like your finger) and I have seen them kill a 5 inch sps overnight.

You should see how my red and gold zoas compete with my hydroids, it is incredible how much something can accelerate their reproduction in order to get the last word in their "niche".

I would deal with hydroids immediately if at all possible, wished I had when I had the chance.

[BCOrchidGuy]

Can you starve them?? IE stop feeding the tank or remove the rock and just let it be for a couple weeks?? I'm of the mind set you get them from over feeding but I may be wrong (again).

Douglas

[BlueAbyss]

every tank is going to experience different "stages", what might have worked for you to just leave to sort itself out, might wind up an epidemic for someone else.
I can't agree that hydroids are like algae...they are a pest like algae, more like Aiptasia in that hydroids give a nasty sting to anything they touch (like your finger) and I have seen them kill a 5 inch sps overnight.

You should see how my red and gold zoas compete with my hydroids, it is incredible how much something can accelerate their reproduction in order to get the last word in their "niche".

I would deal with hydroids immediately if at all possible, wished I had when I had the chance.

I agree, best to deal with it immediately by removing as many as you can by whatever means necessary. What I'm saying is that for long term success, you need to find a way to remove whatever it is that they are feeding on that is causing them to grow out of control, be it nutrients or an imbalance of some kind.

And that's exactly what I meant, is that hydroids are like algae in the manner that they are pests and can easily get out of control... but I doubt hydroids occupy the same ecological niche as zoas. Are they mainly photosynthetic? I doubt it if they have stinging nematocysts, they probably feed on zooplankton or tiny 'pods.

[Whatigot]

Can you starve them?? IE stop feeding the tank or remove the rock and just let it be for a couple weeks?? I'm of the mind set you get them from over feeding but I may be wrong (again).

Douglas

I have had some in a basement cooking tank with no heat and no food going on 7 months...
There may be a lot of stuff in the water column in that tank though, so maybe a poor example.

Overfeeding will not cause hydroids, though it will contribute to their success in your tank.

And if you do a little dd on Hydroids, which are distant relatives of jellyfish you'll find that a common natural solution to get them gone is to put some zoas nearby, which will naturally try and outcompete the hydroids (and vice versa) for light and space.
If you don't think they sting, touch one.
I dare ya.:wink:

here's some reading to get you started.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hydrozoanfaqs.htm

[trilinearmipmap]

I wouldn't use a blowtorch. The water within the live rock will turn to steam, then the rock will explode in your face.

I have a small patch of hydroids which not by coincidence is right under my feeding area. IME they grow with excess nutrients and recede when nutrient level go down.

I find the suction hose/filter sock in the sump trick while trimming the hyroids with scissors keeps them in check. I have some Aiptasia-X but I haven't tried it on my hydroids yet.

[Whatigot]

I wouldn't use a blowtorch. The water within the live rock will turn to steam, then the rock will explode in your face.

I have a small patch of hydroids which not by coincidence is right under my feeding area. IME they grow with excess nutrients and recede when nutrient level go down.

I find the suction hose/filter sock in the sump trick while trimming the hyroids with scissors keeps them in check. I have some Aiptasia-X but I haven't tried it on my hydroids yet.

although you would have had to introduce the hydroids before they could take advantage of your excess nutrients.
They do not just come out of nowhere.

[hockey nut]

Hi Mike,

Depending on what type of rock they are attached to, they can be rooted very deep. I would remove the rock then chisle/bore/dig out the hydroid colony. Then I would fill the hole/gap with frag glue or epoxy in case I missed some of the root system. It's a pain in the *** but seemed to work well.

hth


Cheers

[Frenchie]

Mike, looks like im in the same boat. I found two paches of hydroids in my tank last night.

I filled a syringe with boiling water and tryed to burn them out. It seemed to help, but well see what things look like once the lights come on today.

My plan is to keep up with the "burn em out" technique and see what happens.

Let me know if you have any success.

[justinl]

i have quite a few patches of thecate hydroids (i was trying to wait them out but it's getting kind of silly now). when i get a chance, Im going to try "surgical strike" burning with a soldering iron. that way i won't bleach half my rock with boiling water; i usually apply boiling water by pouring a fresh kettle onto the infected patch (i like to be thorough).

[Frenchie]

i have quite a few patches of thecate hydroids (i was trying to wait them out but it's getting kind of silly now). when i get a chance, Im going to try "surgical strike" burning with a soldering iron. that way i won't bleach half my rock with boiling water; i usually apply boiling water by pouring a fresh kettle onto the infected patch (i like to be thorough).

They come back after the kettle tratment?

[fkshiu]

Try one of those vibrating toothbrush things. I do it right in the water in the tank and it wipes them out pretty quickly. Problem is that you only have to miss one and it'll come right back. But then I whip out the brush o' death again.

[justinl]

They come back after the kettle tratment?

oh no no. nothing comes back from that. it is very thorough. but like franklin said, if you miss one (on another rock for example) they'll recolonize. I did the kettle treatment on a few majano and aiptasia (only a few) and they haven't come back; haven't tried it on my hydroids yet since i figured my tank would outgrow them and they would get rid of themselves... im gettting impatient though.