digitate hydroids

[tidal_waters]

Anybody have any experience with these? I have a few in my tank and was wondering if anybody has any information they could share on getting rid of these?
I've read that these can have a pretty bad sting to corals that get in contact with them

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/lklive/233232323.jpg

[tidal_waters]

anybody??

[nlreefguy]

Are you sure that's what that is? I have digitate hydroids (or I thought I did) and they don't look like that!

[vaporize]

I have hydroids (and jellyfish that it hatch into) but it looked nothing like that ;-D

[tidal_waters]

this is a macro shot and was taken with the lights on, once the lights go out they stretch out into the flow. They look pretty much like regular tube worms, but stretched out they are pretty thin with a hairy like body (hard to explain) with the bulbous end

If they are not then does anybody have an ID on this then?

Thanks for the imput guys

[hillegom]

Well, here is what Melev thinks of them.

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/digitate_hydroid.html

[tidal_waters]

Yup, that's one in the same. my pic above is prior to it stretching out.

So anywhoooo now that's sorted out, anybody have any imput regarding removal??

[tidal_waters]

Vaporize

you said that you have these as well, do you have any problems with these stinging anything in your tank?

I just removed one under a pokerstar monti that was showing a pretty bad mar from something (i'm assuming from the hydroid) but I just used a turkey baster and pretty much just rub it off and sucked it up, but there are a few more that are currently in the tank that are not any real reason for concern at the moment, and I'm just wondering if i should try to take them out somehow and if you have any ideas?

the picture I took was on a macro setting at the tip of one of these thing, while the lights were on and still contracted

[Palmer]

How old is your tank? I had a ton of these when first starting my tank up in January. I researched here and on RC with mixed reviews on what to do with them. It seemed like the more experienced folk felt they were self limiting and could not be kept alive in the long run even if you wanted to. So except for a couple of instances I mainly let them be. As I started increasing the duration of my lighting and as my tank matured they seem to primarily have disappeared. One person recommended throwing a HOB filter on the tank as they tend to detach and float around the tank and this can suck them up. Based on the one's that are still in my tank I have had no negative effects so far on any corals as far as I can tell.

Palmer