Spider-Like creatures on seahorse tank..

[WendyCT]

So when I got home this evening I went to feed the gals and found these spider-like things on the walls of my seahorse tank.

I was told they may be Hydroids? And should be okay with my seahorses as long as they are not dwarf (and they aren't).

Just posting a picture (best one I could get) to see if there were any other thoughts or confirmations of Hydroids ..

Thanks!

 

[sarahlovesfish]

They look like hydroids. I have many of this kind in my tank, but they are harmless.

 

[WendyCT]

oh good! ((phew)) that's what MTC1996 said also but I just felt better hearing it again... thank you!

 

[chewdoggie]

So what are dwarf hydroids? Obviously smaller, but hard to see scale in the above pic....?

 

[rayjay]

Dwarf hydroids aren't a type but rather just any type of hydroid in with dwarf seahorses.
With dwarf seahorses or with fry of standards, hydroids can be lethal.

 

[kudagirl]

Spider Like Creatures

Spider Like Creatures

So when I got home this evening I went to feed the gals and found these spider-like things on the walls of my seahorse tank.

I was told they may be Hydroids? And should be okay with my seahorses as long as they are not dwarf (and they aren't).

Just posting a picture (best one I could get) to see if there were any other thoughts or confirmations of Hydroids ..

Thanks!

Hi,
I have somethink like though and i was told that they were good for the tank as they were a type of water filter.

 

[rayjay]

Well, I've not heard THAT one before. Who told you that?
Here is some hydroid basics: HYDROIDS

 

[kudagirl]

Well, I've not heard THAT one before. Who told you that?
Here is some hydroid basics: HYDROIDS

Hi Ray jay,

Sorry but mine are not like the HYDROIDS that you have put up to show us.

Mine are little white things and my lfs told me that they were nothink to worry about as they help filter the water.

 

[rayjay]

All hydroids are encompassed by that article. There are several thousand different kinds, and, different stages for each one.
I know of NO hydroids that filter. They mostly are predatory on zooplankton but some feed on algae.
Here is another article but due to it's age, most photos are no longer viewable although some of the links are still valid.
http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/1097/1097_2.html

There is also a thread from 2011 with some other links that may be of interest to you. http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic113226.aspx

 

[grcforce327]

Thought you had spiders crawling "on" the tank. Those are "in" the tank.:hammer:

 

[kudagirl]

Hydroids

Hydroids

All hydroids are encompassed by that article. There are several thousand different kinds, and, different stages for each one.
I know of NO hydroids that filter. They mostly are predatory on zooplankton but some feed on algae.
Here is another article but due to it's age, most photos are no longer viewable although some of the links are still valid.
http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/1097/1097_2.html

There is also a thread from 2011 with some other links that may be of interest to you. http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic113226.aspx

Hi Rayjay,
If these are hydroids could they be hurting my sh,if so i wil go down to my lfs and let him no that they are not water filters.
I am just changing my sh over into a new tank which is almost ready for them, but will make sure that nothing like that gets into the new tank.
Thanks for the info.

 

[rayjay]

I don't think they will be harmful to standard sized seahorses, at least in the short term. I'm not sure just how bad they can be when they get to mass infestations which can happen when conditions are right.
The difficulty in removing them is that the Panacur (Fenbendazole) used to erradicate them, is usually fatal to snails and a lot of invertebrates and corals.
I don't know for sure but I've been told that the Panacur gets taken up by the rocks and remain potent for years.

 

[rayjay]

Just a thought, that maybe your LFS has hydroids in their system and tell everyone it's OK because they know they're responsible for the transfer to the tanks.

 

[spiceycat]

RayJay always has the best advice.

 

[rayjay]

It would be nice if it were so.
Unfortunately, what advice I have is just based on my experiences, which doesn't make something right, because others have different experiences that lead to different answers.
If I haven't experienced something in a topic, I either leave it alone, or I use the search feature on seahorse.org, or I use google a heck of a lot, which means sorting out facts from fiction most of the time.
I have the advantage of being old and incapable of doing much any more so I can spend time on searching for information. At the time I write something, I believe it to be correct, but many times I find out later that I was wrong, or that new information makes my old advice dated.
It doesn't help that as I'm coming up to my seventieth soon, my mild cognitive impairment means that I don't retain a lot of what I learn so I have to relearn continually.
Please remember all of this when considering my advice.

 

[gnu]

Rayjay, you're too modest! In all of the prep work I've done before I bought my horses, I learned so much from your threads and comments. These forums are such a great tool because of members like you

 

[gnu]

Back onto thread topic...I had a hydroid break out also, and searched my rocks for the colony. It looked like bunches of tiny feather dusters. I smothered them under a layer of epoxy, and that solved that problem. The ones on the glass died off when I reduced my phyto feedings (I have lots of sponges).

 

[rayjay]

My heads gonna be bigger than my gut is, soon.:spin1:

 

[Fretfreak13]

Kudagirl, you say that yours don't look like the pictures of the hydroids that rayjay posted in the link and that your LFS says they're water filters? Any chance they're little pineapple sponges? If thats the case than I understand how someone could think they help filter the water because they filter-feed, but they are not a source of filtration for the tank. Regardless, they're harmless if that's what you have. Look them up and see if they match.

 

[Peka]

Those are hydroids