Help ID hitchhiker algae / coral ?

[tenurepro]

Hi folks,
can someone please help me id this critter - see attached pic... brownish tube with multiple appendages at the end - think of medusa's hair? i see a small colony of them on my live rock...
doesn't look like algae to me...

what is, and should i keep it or get rid of it.

thanks all!

 

[Icefire]

aptaisia, an anemone pest

Do a search on here

 

[Ron Reefman]

Yes! Aiptasia is a pest. And they can spread like crazy.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

It looks more like colonial hydroids to me.

 

[mfaso24]

+1 for colonial hydroids. That's definitley not aiptasia.

 

[tenurepro]

Thanks guys... Are colonial hydroids bad? any tips on what to do with them?
Thanks for your help

 

[mfaso24]

Depends if they're bothering corals or not. Mine seem to only stay in one little area away from corals. The only way I've heard of that really kills them is taking the rock out (if possible) and blow torching it

 

[tenurepro]

Ok... will try that (the blow torch method)... will update the thread in a week or so.
cheers,
A

 

[tenurepro]

ok, pulled out the rock, took it outside and blasted the affected area with the blow torch... i gave it a really good burn... about a min or so, from all the different angels... washed it and scrubbed the burned area with rodi water and put it back in the tank... the torched area looks pretty ugly now but hopefully it will recover nicely and the hydroids don't come back...

 

[mfaso24]

Nice! Keep us updated

 

[tenurepro]

well its been a while, but happy to positively report that burning the rock with the hydroids eliminated the hydroids from my system, and about 8 month later, you can't even notice the burned rock... [its bottom right most rock, i burned to the right of the purple mushroom]