small feathery algea type items

[reefrox]

Hello. Does anyone know what the little brownish sprouts in the photos that are attached are. They are very small as you see their size next to the zoa polp. They are many of them all over my rocks.

 

Thanks.

[crawdads57]

Maybe some kind of worm, but they also look like they might be some sort of anemone. I hate to say the word aiptasia, but they kinda look like large hydra from freshwater. When did you notice them and where did you notice them first?

[BJV]

Sure looks like apitasia to me......

Barry

[Mariaface]

A couple of them look like pest anemones, and the last (?) photo looks almost like colonial hydroids.

[crawdads57]

If you don't have other shrimps maybe pop in some peppermints and see what they do. I had a small outbreak of aiptasia in my refugium and 2 peppermints took care of them in about 3 days. About 10 days later I captured them and took them back to the LFS where I bought them. I didn't want to keep feeding my refugium pellets, and they don't eat algae, so I thought I should at least give these guys a chance to live. Not that the LFS gave me my money back, but I didn't ask either ;P It only cost me $3, so whatever.

 

I haven't seen another aiptasia since and that was 3 months ago. I don't know if there's anything magical about the aiptasia we know and hate and the palate of a peppermint shrimp. So I'm just guessing that a real aiptasia eating peppermint would eat other crappy hydroids. Then again, these things are right next door to your zoas, and I did not have that issue - mine were in my fuge with no other "corals" or colonial anemones. IDK, just an idea.

[Cintax]

A couple of them look like pest anemones, and the last (?) photo looks almost like colonial hydroids.

 

I have colonial hydroids in my tank but the tentacles(?) are finer almost like fine hair. I like mine because the 'hair' has green florescence under actinic light.

 

OP: I'm not sure, they look like hydroids in one photo and anemones in another. If the body mushy or hard when you touch them?

[reefrox]

If you don't have other shrimps maybe pop in some peppermints and see what they do. I had a small outbreak of aiptasia in my refugium and 2 peppermints took care of them in about 3 days. About 10 days later I captured them and took them back to the LFS where I bought them. I didn't want to keep feeding my refugium pellets, and they don't eat algae, so I thought I should at least give these guys a chance to live. Not that the LFS gave me my money back, but I didn't ask either ;P It only cost me $3, so whatever.

 

I haven't seen another aiptasia since and that was 3 months ago. I don't know if there's anything magical about the aiptasia we know and hate and the palate of a peppermint shrimp. So I'm just guessing that a real aiptasia eating peppermint would eat other crappy hydroids. Then again, these things are right next door to your zoas, and I did not have that issue - mine were in my fuge with no other "corals" or colonial anemones. IDK, just an idea.

Hmm thats a good idea thanks. If all else fails i will try add one as i only have one cleaner shrimp in my tank at the moment. Im not sure its aptasia though as i have a couple aptasia elswhere in the tank and these are much different. The tentacles are very soft and flowy. Reminds me of a feather duster at times.

[reefrox]

 

I have colonial hydroids in my tank but the tentacles(?) are finer almost like fine hair. I like mine because the 'hair' has green florescence under actinic light.

 

OP: I'm not sure, they look like hydroids in one photo and anemones in another. If the body mushy or hard when you touch them?

Ther body is a little mushy. I looked at pics online and my items do match hydroids in a way. Eegad was so disheartend when i looked up hydroids.

When i read hydroids sting corals it kinda makes sense because if you see the last pic, the zoas are closed and have been doing so for a while..

I plucked out the 3 little items that were between that zoa and it came out kinda like when you remove a mat of bubble algea. Used tweesers and all three came out in a tought like grass. All joined together at the base.

I just got over battling calothirix/dino items now this.. man all those videos on youtube i watched where poeple keeping a saltwater tanks not so hard are talking nonsense lol. This is my first tank, am a smart person, do tonns of reading online but ayaya it aint easy.. battled calothirix now this. Corals stopped growing completly for months, cannot get calclium up using 2 part.. corals all tured pale lackluster. so on and so on. And besides the hydroid things all my rocks are covered in a very super fine white hair algea mucus type flowy mess.

 

Sorry to rant : )

Here are some pics of the fine white hair algea if anyone has any ideas this as well.. thanks again..

[Mariaface]

Corals stopped growing completly for months, cannot get calclium up using 2 part..

 

all my rocks are covered in a very super fine white hair algea mucus type flowy mess.

 

 

What's your magnesium level? You want it at or above 1300ppm to make sure you can keep alk and cal balanced. What is calcium now, where are you trying to keep it? What is alk, where are you trying to keep it?

 

White fine-hair looking stuff sounds bacterial. Scrape what you can, siphon out what you can, and dose bacterial supplements long-term to outcompete it. Look into Microbacter 7 or Clean, Stability, etc.

[reefrox]

What's your magnesium level? You want it at or above 1300ppm to make sure you can keep alk and cal balanced. What is calcium now, where are you trying to keep it? What is alk, where are you trying to keep it?

 

White fine-hair looking stuff sounds bacterial. Scrape what you can, siphon out what you can, and dose bacterial supplements long-term to outcompete it. Look into Microbacter 7 or Clean, Stability, etc.

Thanks mariaface.. i actually have some red sea no3p04x lying about. So maybe ill start dosing that a little and see what happens.

 

Magnesium is the only element i can control. Its at 1350. Tank is about 9 months old with very few tiny frags. Ive tried balancing calk and alk with 2 part but no matter how much i dosed calc it wouldnt go up. In my 40g i would dose 200ml even and no luck. Then would get calcification. I dosed hours apart. My alk normally stays at around 9. Calk would drop to 250. Yup sometimes lower than the red sea pro test kit would even read. My LFS also tested to double check and it was consistantly belowlower than 300. It is wierd. I just switched to ME 2 part and am dosing opposite hours (ie calk in the morning and alk at night). Lets hope that makes a difference.

[Mariaface]

Bad plan. That's not a bacterial supplement, but a carbon supplement that feeds bacteria. You may actually make the issue worse

 

Interesting. Have you tested your newly mixed saltwater as well?

 

What test kit are you using for magnesium, alk? An alk of 9dKH shouldn't be causing precipitation unless that number's off, or magnesium's off. Or the 2-part was overdosed, and both parameters fell. Hopefully the new dosing regime works!

[nancymatthews]

Reefrox,

I zoomed into the last picture of the polyps you're asking about. I have those too. I noticed them on my live rock and have been observing them for about 4 years now. They seem harmless. I have ZOA's growing next to them too and they don't bother the ZOA's.

When you look really close they are brownish yellow. When my blue LEDs are on they do glow. Their skirt turn yellowish greenish but it's faint and you have to look really close to see it glowing. They are also very hardy. Mine have survived 2 tank crashes since I got my 28g Nano Cube in 2012.

My unidentified polyps have stayed small. They have not grown any bigger then what you see next your ZOA's.

[reefrox]

Bad plan. That's not a bacterial supplement, but a carbon supplement that feeds bacteria. You may actually make the issue worse

 

Interesting. Have you tested your newly mixed saltwater as well?

 

What test kit are you using for magnesium, alk? An alk of 9dKH shouldn't be causing precipitation unless that number's off, or magnesium's off. Or the 2-part was overdosed, and both parameters fell. Hopefully the new dosing regime works!

The new calc and alk does not seem to have chnaged much. My alk is at 7.7 and calc at 270. Im am uping my dosing to 50ml of each 2 times a day.

A few months ago when testing daily i worked out that it took 250ml of calc to change increase 10ppm. Ie 250 ml of calc would take me from 310 to 320. This is crazy for a 40gallons of water..

 

some say the rock could be the dry rock is now sucking up the calcium.. could that be true.

 

I am using red seas reef pro test kit for all tests.