Help! what the heck is this?

[sandgoby]

Hello Everyone,
So I am snapping some pics of my tank tonight and I noticed a few polyps are closed, hmmmmm. I look a little deeper and I found, well actually I have no idea what I found. They look like mini cat-tales? Have a look please anyone with any ideas would be great!

sandgoby :beer:

 

[MikeandNicole]

Hydroids?

 

[sandgoby]

Hydroids?

I don't think so. They don't expand and contract when touched, they are just there. Some type of Algae maybe??

S:beer:

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Look like hydroids to me. Not all hydroids act the same.

 

[SushiGirl]

Some hydroids don't expand and contract. I've had a few different kinds and none of them did. Really hard to tell from that pic, though.

 

[smoyer]

do you have a better picture I cant see well enough to tell

 

[MikeandNicole]

Check these out:

http://www.coralpedia.com/index.php?module=Gallery2&g2_itemId=384

 

[TampaSnooker]

I'm leaning towards hydroids, too. They can definitely irritate their neighbors. Not all of them contract - some are quite rigid. Some emerald crabs have been reported to eat them. If they are on a stalk, I just use scissors to snip them as close to the base as possible. If anyone has a better control method, I'd love to hear it - they can be stubborn.

 

[bobbychullo]

I just use scissors to snip them as close to the base as possible. If anyone has a better control method, I'd love to hear it - they can be stubborn.

i was thinking about trying this. i'm glad to hear you've had success. i've tried nailing them with joe's juice, just burns the tentacles off which grow back fairly quickly.

how close to the base do you usually have to cut them? can i get away with about halfway down the stalk?

 

[sandgoby]

Ok so a little more investigating and I fount 2 things:
1. Asterina Starfish having a snack.
2. below is a new pic of something else. in the center of the pic is something I can't identify. unfortunately it withdrew before I could snap a the shot. It looked like some kind of ricordea maybe? I'll see if I can get a pic when it's fully open.

Thanks
S:beer:

 

[TampaSnooker]

Asterinas can be bad news for zoas. Most of the many species are harmless herbivores, but some find zoas to be a delicasy. Nowadays, I remove every one I find. If you have a lot, a harlequin shrimp is useful in eating the asterinas. Be aware that the shrimp ONLY eats starfish, so when the job is done, you must either find a cheap source of starfish to feed it or pass it along to the next person with an asterina problem.
See if you can get a shot of the "riccordea". It may very well be one, which is harmless - the 2 species often come in on the same piece, although it could be an anemone of some kind which is further irritating the zoas.

@bobbychullo - I snip as close as possible. Eventually, they use up too much energy trying to grow new tops and die out. Sometimes, you get lucky and can actually rip them off the rock by grabbing the bunch.

 

[sandgoby]

I have found some Hydroids in the Fuge. I think I may tear it down and start over. I wanted to upgrade the fuge for a while now. I guess I will bump it up. I haven't seen any in the tank as of yet. But I am running a UV on the return that could be why. Thanks for all the feedback.

S:beer: