Hydroids

[kingfisher62]

I have recently notices a couple of small colonies of what I believe are hydroids growing on my LR. I heard they can become quite the pest and would like to eradicate them before I have any issues.
I was thinking of just covering the colony with super glue gel or marine putty .
Does anyone think this would be a good idea ?
Any feedback would be appreciated .

 

[jimroth]

Yes, when I had my old tank I could have eliminated the myronemia hydroids early on and I didn't, and boy did I regret it later when they were in every area of my tank! I would say apply kalk paste to the colony, and keep an eye out for any survivors and then kill them.

 

[Logzor]

1. Go to home depot
2. Buy aquamend
3. Smother them liberally
4. Remove after 1 month

Kalk can be hit or miss, as I have tried this on hydroids. Aquamend, on the other hand, cuts off everything and is sure to kill them.

Kalk will knock them out but it seems that if one survives it can recolonize the rest rather quickly.

 

[kingfisher62]

Thanks guys. I will test one colony with the marine putty and one with the kalk paste . What is the "recipe " for kalk paste.
Kalkwasser and distilled water?
Is that what "Joes Juice " or "Aptasia X" is?

It is funny, Ihave had this LR for over five years and never noticed any.
Do they thrive on light like corals? I did recently upgraded my NO lights to T5's

 

[small alien]

What do they look like?

 

[bpulmano]

I had a few when my tank was first starting out, but they gradually disappeared on their own.

 

[kingfisher62]

They sort of look like small aiptasia with more rigid tubes and tight colonies. I will try to snap a shot but it may be difficult.

I dont know if I want to take a chance on them disappearing on their own.

 

[njdevilsfan]

no need to take the aquamend off after you are done if you dont want to coraline will turn it pink
or did when i covered my hydroids

 

[Ritten]

If you don't have Kalk, you can use Mrs. Wages pickle lime found at the grocery store (in with the canning supplies), mix it with RO/DI into a thick paste and cover the hydroids.

 

[ReeferChick85]

Will the Aquamend also work aptasia or will they just come out through another hole?

 

[kingfisher62]

Sorry, no way I can snap a shot of these. they are just too small and not close enough to the glass for a macro shot!

I tried some aiptasia X on some of them it seems to work.

 

[Salamander]

Putty nor Kalk past ever worked for me. They just retract into the rock and pop back up.

What I did find to work was pulling the rock and using a 1" masonry drill bit to drill them out. IME hydroids can actually go pretty deep into rock so drilling an inch or two worked. It also leaves a nice hole for sticking frag plugs into.

 

[IndyReefMan]

If the colonies are isolated onto just a few rocks, I would remove the rocks completely if you can. If these are the myrionema sp of colonial hydroids, they are not to be fooled with. They can spread like wildfire and you will have a real nightmare on your hands.

 

[drummereef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15387305#post15387305 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by small alien
What do they look like?

Closeup

Multiple Colonies

The only way I've ever been able to completely eradicate hydroids was by baking the rock they are on. Yes, this is extreme and you turn your nice live rock into base, but the alternative is much worse. I've had NO luck with kalk paste and didn't have the patience to do the Aquamend method. I do know for sure baking them will definitely get rid of them.

 

[Big E]

Some have used a small torch & burn them off. I've used boiling water with a dropper or baster. I've also cut the rock chunk which is easier.

The biggest problem is if there is one or two that aren't a large colony you tend to not see them & months later the tank is populated again.

 

[topherc84]

The trick for kalk pasting that worked for me was to make sure you covered them when they were still out of their tubes. When they retracted with the paste on them, it looked like they drew some of it in the tube with them. If you scare them into their tubes before they get coated, it doesnt work.

 

[kingfisher62]

that picture looks pretty close. I think I will try the kalk paste for now .