odd hitchhiker?

dtapke

Member
I'm pretty familiar with a lot of different hitchhikers but i've got one thats appeared that i'm not familiar with. I'll try and get a good photo of it later tonight but any help in advance would be great as i'm not sure i can get a good photo.

It seems to have a small bundle attached to rock with fine hairs that resemble fiberglass hairs extending from it. i've got a few that look to just be two small hairs and one group that has maybe 10 hairs extending from it.

the hairs seem to be pretty "strong" as in non flexible. they don't really sway in the breeze of current but seem to be literally as i described fiberglass hairs.

any idea?
 
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Bottom right in the photo. Although also mildly curious about the guy in the background. Also a hitchhiker. Almost appears to be a teensy tiny torch.


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Try taking another one with the blues off, and that will help us see the hairy thing.

The green-tipped one looks like a hammer coral to me, but torch is a runner-up I think.
 
The blue light makes it look funky, but perhaps an encrusting sponge?

Kevin
 
I'll snag a better photo tonight with a camera instead of a phone. Although usually i'm not concerned about hitchhikers, this guy just looks ominous.
 
Man, getting photos from a camera to here seems trickier than it should be.

Any thoughts?

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Well, that looks completely different. Maybe some sort of hydroid?

Kevin
 
Whatever it is, it's grown surprisingly fast on a rock that shouldn't have any life on it. (Sat in unkept tank for 5-7 years, no lights, fresh water top off, flow, temp control)

And from my recollection it didn't exist on that rock 7-10 years ago.

I suppose it could've hitchhiked off a recently purchased coral? Although everywhere I've gotten coral from claims they have a rigorous quarantine procedure.


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Ok. Best pic I can get.
So hydroids.. I seem to be reading some mixed opinions on these. I can't seem to definitively determine that they're harmful?

Also, they sound like a real pita to get rid of, so maybe best to let be?

I remember when bristleworms were the worst thing you could have in a tank, I always let mine be. And nowadays people seem quite happy to have a bristleworm in their tank.

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Is this a new tank? Hydroids are super common for tanks that are still establishing. If so, I wouldn't worry about them too much.
 
Hey, It's Kind of a new tank. So the tank had been sitting dormant, no salinity check (was probably SUPER HIGH) no temp, no flow, no lights for the last 5-7 years. I just re-started it about 10 weeks ago. I was AMAZED at the number of critters that lived through the long "dead" period. feather dusters, pods, brittle stars, astreas, sponges, etc all popped back to life within a few weeks (after cycle) on the old live rock.

sounds like i should just leave these guys alone and see if they become a problem?
 
I was thinking of just covering them up with some water weld as it sounds like theres some hardships killing them off, but i'd rather live and let live. I've yet to have a hitchhiker thats caused problems in the 5-7 years i kept the tank prior to the 5-7 years dormancy.

that being said, ive got a hammer and a torch that these may have came on and relocated, and neither of them are doing well. I've got other euphylias that are doing great. just these two from one person haven't done well. and i definitely can see a tiny thing that looks similar to these on each of those. I may try and razor blade them off the frags and see if their health pops back.

two other torches doing great, a hammer doing great, candy cane thats splitting regularly, mushrooms that are all happy, favia, micromussa, monti, and a couple seriotopa all doing awesome.. just these two not doing great. I've moved them to shaded places with low light and they've perked up a bit, but not the show stoppers they were when purchased.
 
p.s. is anyone else unable to feed their candy canes and micro lordhowensis enough? seems like everytime i feed them (weekly) they gobble a pile of mysis up and then open right back up for more within a minute or two!
 
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