Weird hydroid

[deetu]

I have dwarf seahorses and need to fed bbs.  I originally thought that they were pineapple sponges until I saw tentacles on them.  I treated with fen but because it was only a 2.5 gallon tank, there was a disagreement on dosage so they didn't die.  I have a HOB with cycled lava rock in it and sponge filter.  I moved the ponies to QT and really dosed the tank, definitely killing them.  I rinsed the lava rock with fresh water and did a total water change and waited a week before putting the ponies back.  I read that the rock will hold the fen but was surprised that the Ponies had a reaction, pooping black so I removed the rock and replaced it with seasoned from my 20 gallon. 

They were doing better, eating well, having babies and I was in the process of cycling a larger tank.  7.5 gallons

 

Now here is the thing, I was getting ready to move them over and noticed that the hydroids were again in the 2.5 gallon tank.  I looked at the lava rocks in the 20 gallon but only see pineapple sponges there.  I am extremely careful rinsing the bbs but know it can happen, I just don't understand how the same hydroid popped up only in the seahorse tank.  The new tank has new lava rock that was boiled, cycled with live sand and was never in the 20 gallon. 

Do you think the lava rock attracks them?  The lava rocks are in the display and look good, I really don't want to remove them.

I'm debating on soaking one rock in fen and putting it in the display but don't know how much would be the right amount.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[mcarroll]

Can't tell what's supposed to be in-frame in those photos.  

On 2/29/2020 at 2:35 PM, deetu said:

I treated with fen

What?

 

On 2/29/2020 at 2:35 PM, deetu said:

soaking one rock in fen

What??

 

I have no idea what "fen" is but I can see there's a dependency on it.  I would say chill out on using it, whatever it is.  😉

 

On 2/29/2020 at 2:35 PM, deetu said:

Any suggestions will be appreciated

You mentioned hydroids in the title, so I'll assume you're having a bloom.

 

You need to stop broadcast feeding and start direct feeding.  This will slow or stop them from spreading.

 

Try treating the existing ones like aptasia with the Aiptasia X product.

 

Watch a video from the company to see how to use it....should be very similar for your hydroids.

[deetu]

9 hours ago, mcarroll said:

 

 

I can't figure out how to separate the questions from the quote.  I hope this way is okay

 

Can't tell what's supposed to be in-frame in those photos. 

This is a close up of that picture.  The seahorse is about an inch so you can see how small these hydroids are.

 

I have no idea what "fen" is but I can see there's a dependency on it.  I would say chill out on using it, whatever it is.  😉

The treatment to kill hydroids is using Fenbendazole, Panacur. 

I've read that live rock will hold the fenbendazole. That was why mentioned maybe treating a rock and to place in tank to keep from future ones happening. 

You will kill good stuff in a reef tank if you try to put rock treated with fenbendazole back.

 

You mentioned hydroids in the title, so I'll assume you're having a bloom.

The downside to have dwarf seahorses is hydroids because you have to feed live bbs.  Even though you rinse bbs with freshwater, sometimes something slips thru.  The regular ones you see will die easy with this treatment and in fresh water but this one just would not die so easily.  That was why I was asking for advice.

 

You need to stop broadcast feeding and start direct feeding.  This will slow or stop them from spreading.

Dwarfs do not hunt, they wait for the bbs to swim by so they can be snicked up.  There is no way to direct feed.  Once you see hydroids they need to be quickly eradicated because hydroids can kill dwarf seahorses.

 

Try treating the existing ones like aptasia with the Aiptasia X product.

They were all over the tank in different places, mainly on the lava rock so treating with aiptasia x wouldn't work, especially since the tank was only 2.5 gallons.  These things were tiny... little smaller then pineapple sponges.

 

The second picture was just showing off my new dwarf seahorse tank.🥰

Thank you for your suggestions

[mcarroll]

8 hours ago, deetu said:

Fenbendazole

A de-wormer...at least according to wikipedia.  Doesn't seem to apply (wrong category of meds altogether), so I wouldn't touch it.....or let it touch my tank.

 

(I can't comment on it's need in other scenarios.)

 

8 hours ago, deetu said:

The downside to have dwarf seahorses is hydroids because you have to feed live bbs.  Even though you rinse bbs with freshwater, sometimes something slips thru.

Are you saying you have hydroids in your bbs culture, or just that feeding the tank bbs encourages hydroids in the seahorse tank?

 

If they're coming from your bbs culture, I've never heard of that.....but I could only ask if you're decapsulating before hatching?  That would take care of any hitchhiker.

 

If they're just in the display tank but are being encouraged by the bbs feeding, then that's the scenario I was saying where you should switch (if possible) to direct feeding rather than broadcast feeding.

 

8 hours ago, deetu said:

Dwarfs do not hunt, they wait for the bbs to swim by so they can be snicked up.  There is no way to direct feed.  Once you see hydroids they need to be quickly eradicated because hydroids can kill dwarf seahorses.

Instead of bombing the tank with food, consider something like the Rio hatchery that "dispenses" individual bbs more or less as they hatch.  Use more than one if need-be.

 

You will have to figure something out besides broadcast feeding.  The Hydroids are probably waaaaaaay better equipped to capitalize from that scenario than the seahorses are, so you're fighting an uphill battle against yourself if you don't.

 

Will peppermint shrimp peacefully cohabit with seahorses?

 

If you can't target feed in any way shape or form, and you can't have any kind of polyp-predator.....to me that leaves treating them like aiptasia and using Aiptasia X on them.  Should work.

 

I'd carpet-bomb the ones you can get to with Aiptasia X and consider the rest harmless out-of-the-way bystanders.   Does that work as a middle ground?   At least while you work on an improvement for feeding?

[deetu]

I practiced before getting the dwarfs, knowing that they needed live bbs. I worked on making a self hatchery directly in the tank using decapsulated eggs and had hydroids. I contacted the company and he said there will always be some hydroids hatching, and that he sells to big companies with no complaints. 

I decapped myself and also had some hydroids when trying to hatch directly into tank.  l saw the hydriods rolling in the hatchery before getting into the tank.

I always heard that decapping killed the pests too so was surprised to see them. 

Again, this was practice in an empty tank before getting dwarfs. 

 

I found the hydroids hatch in salinity above 1.020 (tank was 1.23) and don't hatch in the recommended 1.018. 

I also found the normal jelly ones die instantly in freshwater. Reason to always rinse with freshwater.  I was able to suck them out individually during the practice run but these came later and are tougher. They stick to the rocks and walls. 

 

Any sites and the book l have about dwarf seahorses will give the dewormer as the treatment. They also state that hydroids are common problem because of the live feeding. 

 

I will ask on dwarf site if anyone has ever used Aiptasia x. They didn't know what kind of hydroid these were, that was why l asked here.  Hydroids kill dwarfs so out of the way bystanders will not work. 

 

These hydroids are not in the new tank. I was asking what kind they were, if they were attracted to lava rock for some reason and if treating one rock as a precaution sounded good. I did read that it was. 

 

Unfortunately, peppermint shrimp are not compatible. Although the babies are nutritious for them. 😊