try this again...

plnrtrvlr

plnrtrvlr

New Member
I tried a post but it disappeared, so lets try this again. I have some white colored hollow bodied critters that are taking over in my 55 gallon reef tank. They are hollow bodied and appearing everywhere: on the glass, on the rock, simply everywhere. They are not mobile, nor can they "retract" like glass anenomies. Anyone have a clue what they are or how to get rid of them?
 
mlm

mlm

Active Member
I just posted on this same kind of critter and no one replied.
"I open up my fluval 404 today (empty used just for water movement and to run carbon sometimes)and there was a bunch of things growing in it. There where hundreds of these little things attached everywhere that looked like upside down light bulbs with a cream/white color about .5 inch in diameter. Anyone know what they are. Should I keep them or clean it out? There was also a bunch of pods."
Does this sound like the same thing.
 
plnrtrvlr

plnrtrvlr

New Member
Very similar........ I probably should have been more descriptive, but frustration from "losing a post" made me forget half of what I'd said the first time.... these things range in size from 1 mm to 10 mm and get more and more oval shaped as they grow. They also seem to get "hairy" as they grow larger. They have a fondness for growing "upside down" but do not grow that way exclusively. I'm still at a loss as to what they are though and really do wish to prevent them from growing
EVERYWHERE!!!
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
From your descriptions, these critters sound like a type of Spirorbidae.
Do a google search for this name and you will see tons sites with photos or drawings.
Some are spiral shaped, others are long tubular.
I've have them all over the back glass of my 30 tank. And they litterally attacked my output of a skimmer I once had.
They like areas of high flow.
If this is what they are .. fear not.
They are harmless filter feeders.
see ya
 
T

the fishinator

Guest
I may have the same things in my tank also.
My critters are christmas tree shaped, hollow, off white in color and have a small translucent flat V shaped fan on the top (I call this the tree topper)
They seem to prefer darker locations. I find them behind the powerheads, outside power filters boxes, under rocks, ect.
I have been searching for a clue as to what these are but no luck. (Ever tried to do a search for "Little white things" on the internet).
I am guessing they may be related to sponges or such. In any event they do not appear to be hurting anything.
I look at it as another possible way to export excessive nutrients. I pick out about 1/2 of them when I have the extra time and dispose of them.
I figure they must be using something to make their body mass out of.
Just my opinion
Chris
 
mlm

mlm

Active Member
They are definitly not Spirorbidae. I have those all over the back glass of my tank. These things are soft bodied.
 
cyn

cyn

Member
Sounds like what I have too. Someone told me that they are sponges. The only name I ever can seem to get is Q tip sponges. They are round to oval and have a fan on the free end. These things are rumored to indicate excellent water quality, but I can find very little information to support this claim. I can say that I have had them for over 3 months and have seen no ill effects from or due to them.
HTH,
cyn
 
plnrtrvlr

plnrtrvlr

New Member
Thanks for all the information folks.... I'd pretty well ascertained that they weren't spiro-critters, but not much else. If I come up with an answer, I'll post it here -or we may just dub them "mystery critters of the deep" <img src="graemlins//silly.gif" border="0" alt="[silly]" /> anyhow..... Like several posters have said, they don't seem to HARM anything, but they breed prolifically, and are a nuisance to remove, but that appears to be my best bet. Thanks for all the help :)
 
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