Little aliens on my rock....

Hi all! Can you help me ID these things growing on my live rock?

1st Image: These little guys are sorta pink and harry, with tubes coming out of them. They do not move when I poke them and they are spreading. They are about the size of your pinky nail.

2nd Image: They almost remind me of either tiny feather dusters or tiny aipstasia. But they are tiny and don't retract when I touch them. They are really 1/10 the size of aipstasia (witch i have had) so I don't think they are them. There are 100 of these things all over my tank. They are about half the size of a tooth brush bristle.

Thanks for your help!

 

Welcome to 3Reef

First picture....harmless sponges
Second picture....POTENTIALLY harmful hydroids

 

They may be a type of hydroid. Take a look at this link and see what you think.

Indo Pacific Hitch Hikers


Welcome to 3reef.

 

oh ya that's a type of hydroid. I've had it . It may take some time to settle in, but if it dose you not going to be happy. It will start to go through a cycle of loosing heads and creating strings, the strings will start to wrap around zoas and other things chocking them out and collecting detritus and creating a environment that they hydroids like more. You can try taking the rock out and scrubbing them off the rock with a tooth brush in a bucket of water, but I really suggest taking what ever rocks have them out and really killing it (I mean boil the rock or something) before your tank finished cycling. I shut down my last tank because of these guys and I have 1 single tiny one in my tank currently and it is stressing me the f!#$@$@ out! I might get rid of the frag it's on!
Sorry man, I feel for ya!

 

damon thats awful.

I saw my pepermint shrimp eating them off my live rock is that a fluke or can the evil... lol be killed naturally.

 

I had 5 peppermint shrimp at one point and I never saw one of them do anything to it. From my research that is pretty amazing, I could not find anything that was going to eat it at all let alone consistently. The hard thing is that when your trying to clean it a little head will float off and start some where else, so the more you try to clean it in your tank the worse it gets. Here are some pics of it when it's starting to get stronger, after it hits this point it's a lost fight if you ask me.

 

When I see a thick patch of hydroids, I take the affected rock out of the tank and cover them with a thick kalkwasser paste. Then I rinse off the rock with saltwater and puts the rock back into the tank.

 

dang thats a bad infestiation..... would try the kal. water before i boiled it though lol

 

lol I think you might as well make a kalk dip for your whole rock if they get establish. I guess you could do this every few months, but that would suck to have to move your rock that much. You can live with them (I did for 3 years), but it will be a constant fight and it's not fun. If your any ware near the start of your tank it's going to be a lot easier to just start over, but what am I saying I did not listen in the start so why should you. I just hope you don't regret it in the long run like I did.

 

no that's just the start, when they really get going it's ridiculous and you guys don't think I try the kalk? I had them for 3 years and broke down a very nice tank because of them, go right a head and try it for yourself. Your re-inventing the wheel if you ask me. It's better to learn form the people that have been there than do it for yourself, but like I said I did not listen ether, so have fun guys.